[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 165 (Thursday, October 4, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6537-S6538]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       160TH ANNIVERSARY OF YWCA

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, this year, the Young Women's Christian 
Association, YWCA, celebrates its 160th anniversary in the United 
States. It is the world's oldest and largest multicultural women's 
organization, fighting at the forefront of the most critical social 
movements, from women's empowerment and civil rights to affordable 
housing, pay equity, violence prevention, and healthcare.
  The YWCA traces its origins to the battlefields of the Crimean War in 
1855. Formed in London, philanthropist Mary Jane Kinnaird and her 
friends, the organization helped nurses returning from the war find 
homes and improved the lives of those caught up in the Industrial 
Revolution. Women were working long hours in poor and unsafe 
conditions, and they had few opportunities for healthy activity. The 
YWCA's early hostels evolved to become the organization we know today.
  By 1858, the year we are honoring, the YWCA crossed the Atlantic and 
created residences in New York and Boston. It opened its first U.S. 
boarding house for female students, teachers, and factory workers in 
1860. Since forming in the United States, the YWCA has grown to include 
2.6 million members and 300 local associations in the country.
  Throughout history, the YWCA has been the vanguard for social change. 
In the 1870s, it held the first typewriting classes for women. 
Typewriting was considered a man's job at the time. During the same 
time, it also opened an employment bureau for women. Normal, IL, had 
the first YWCA student association in 1873. In 1877, the YWCA Chicago 
started providing medical services at the homes of the sick. This is 
the precursor to the Visiting Nurses Association.
  In the 1890s, the first African-American YWCA branch opened in 
Dayton, OH. A YWCA opened for Native Americans in Oklahoma during the 
same time. The YWCA was helping immigrant women adapt to the United 
States in 1909 with bilingual instruction. These were revolutionary 
changes.
  In 1919, the YWCA convened the first meeting of doctors, the 
International Conference of Women Physicians, with attendees coming 
from 32 countries to focus on women's health issues.
  The YWCA Convention in 1920 was an early advocate for the 8-hour 
workday with no night work and the right of labor to organize.
  The YWCA also fought on the frontlines of civil rights. In 1915, the 
YWCA held the first interracial conference in the South in Louisville, 
KY. In the 1930s, it worked toward desegregation and encouraged its 
members to speak out against the violence against African Americans. In 
1946, the YWCA adopted its interracial charter, a full 8 years before 
the U.S. Supreme Court decided against segregation. The Charter 
declared, ``Wherever there is injustice on the basis of race, whether 
in the community, the nation, or the world, our protest must be clear 
and our labor for its removal, vigorous and steady.''
  From opening Atlanta's first integrated public dining facility in 
1960 to being a sponsor of Dr. Martin Luther King's March on 
Washington, the YWCA continued the fight for equality.

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In 1970, the YWCA created `One Imperative' to end racism wherever it 
exists.
  The modern YWCA is just as committed to the same principles that it's 
always had and is needed more than ever in the times we live in right 
now.
  The YWCA's annual Stand Against Racism campaign and its racial 
justice programs and services engage 140,000 people every year. It 
serves more than 122,000 women annually with economic empowerment 
programs, including job training, financial literacy, salary 
negotiation, and leadership development. And it continues to offer 
housing and childcare programs, helping build a supportive foundation 
for families.
  More than 900,000 women and families participate in the YWCA health 
and safety programs and services, including domestic violence and 
sexual assault services, fitness programs, and health resources. These 
programs often are critically important to communities of color where 
high-quality health wellness programs are not readily available.
  For twenty years, the YWCA has hosted a Week Without Violence to help 
end gender-based violence with workshops, community service 
opportunities, and public awareness events.
  As we celebrate the YWCA's 160 years of work here in the United 
States, we are reminded daily that we need to continue the fight 
against racism, sexism, and economic inequality. And the YWCA is 
leading the way--just as it did 160 years ago.

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