YWCA’s annual Stand Against Racism events aim to strengthen community among those that work toward racial and social justice within Charlotte. The theme of our 2020 Stand Against Racism is civic engagement.
YWCA USA discusses the importance of this theme as being critical to racial justice work.
Ensuring access to the ballot box and engagement of marginalized communities in the political process are powerful tools for eliminating racism and creating a more inclusive democracy. Voter registration, protecting voting rights, and breaking down barriers to women of color running for and holding elected office are foundational to this work.
The census is another critical lever for power and justice. The results of the 2020 Census will determine the number of seats each state has in congress, shape the boundaries for voting districts, and determine how more than $675 billion in federal, state, and local funding supports communities around the country.
Civic engagement is most powerful when we value the full spectrum of civic life and when all community members have the power to choose how they’d like to participate. Each of us can stand against racism by engaging in our communities in a meaningful way.
YWCA USA, Stand Against Racism Theme
We wanted the design of our logo to reflect civic engagement as well as the city of Charlotte.
Our logo is a tracing of the streets that comprise Charlotte, with Uptown in the center and the surrounding neighborhoods. The idea is to show a different aspect of Charlotte. Aside from our beautiful skylines and crown logo, we have the streets that we move through and use to connect with others. But we also wanted this to speak to the redlining that our country, state and city face.
Black Americans and people of color continue to feel the impact of redlining, effecting neighborhoods, voting accessibility, and individuals.
Our other design is also a reflection of YWCA USA’s GOTV campaign. The original verbiage was, ‘Your Voice. Your Vote. Your Future.’ While voting is vital way to use your voice in holding representatives accountable, we wanted to keep the focus of our 2020 Stand Against Racism on what we’re doing in the Charlotte and North Carolina community.
We each have a voice that impacts our community and the future of each of us. It remains vital to have conversations about racial and social justice with friends and family and to continue working to improve ourselves and help in anyway we can. We can each take a stand against racism in our every day lives, it’s just about determining how you can take that stand.
Thank you to Johnny Hohenstein of Inkwell Printings for creating this year’s Stand Against Racism logos!
