Systems Change & Public Policy
Working Toward A More Equitable Community
YWCA is a nonpartisan organization that believes in supporting policies that promote the well-being of women and girls of color.
Advocacy Priorities
The intersectional nature of our mission – eliminating racism, empowering women – centers women and girls of color in our advocacy work. YWCA Central Carolina’s advocacy work is guided by the following priorities:
- Economic Mobility – Upward mobility for children in poverty is more difficult in Charlotte than in any of the country’s 50 largest cities, according to researchers at Harvard and the University of California at Berkeley. Children born at the bottom of the income ladder have a 4 to 5 percent chance of reaching the top, the study found.
- Affordable Housing – As the nation’s third-fastest growing city, Charlotte is seeing home prices increase by as much as nine percent, contributing to longstanding concerns about affordability for working families.
- Racial Profiling – Officer-involved killings nationwide has further eroded trust between police and minorities. Though African-Americans make up less than a third of Charlotte’s driving-age residents, they are pulled over by police more frequently, receive more tickets and are the subjects of roadside searches twice as often as whites, according to a study by a UNC-Chapel Hill research team.
Policy Priorities
YWCA Central Carolinas’ Racial Justice & Advocacy program works to ensure that community members are educated and aware of legislation and bills that would help ensure a more equitable community for all individuals, particularly people of color. Below are policies and movements that we support, click on the policy/movement to learn more:
Empowerment & Economic Advancement
Ensuring women have equitable pay and access to needed resources for workplace support is vital. Click on the policy/movement to learn more:
You can watch segments from YWCA and Captech’s YWomenVote series in which expert panelists discuss the health and safety policies that we can support to continue empowering women and girls of color.
Health & Safety
Ensuring women have equitable pay and access to needed resources for workplace support is vital. Click on the policy/movement to learn more:
What You Can Do
YWCA’s public policy work is strengthened with your support. Use your voice by:
- Attending a City Council or County Commissioner meeting.
- Writing your legislator about issues that matter to you and the community.
- Find your legislators here.
- Use this sample letter template to write to your legislator.
- Volunteering with a political party.
- Track a bill to see if it has been passed.
