About Until Justice Just Is
Building Bridges to Equity
YWCA is on a mission to eliminate racism and empower women. Because we know that we cannot empower all women without confronting systemic racism, we act every day by raising awareness of the impacts of institutional and structural racism and by building community among those who work for racial justice.
We believe it's time to be more inclusive in our language and our campaigns. Since 2015, we have invited and inspired countless activists, advocates, and allies to join us in the movement to eliminate racism through our annual Stand Against Racism campaign. The campaign has served its purpose in its eight years running with gatherings that united our efforts against racism, but it is time to be more inclusive with our message as we continue to evolve and learn. While the campaign itself has long united us against racism, we acknowledge that for many, the word “stand” in its name evoked feelings of ableism, exclusivity, and disempowerment. As an organization dedicated to advancing justice for all, it’s our responsibility to ensure that all are included in the movement and inspired to take part in advancing justice in partnership with us. That is why, in 2023, we renamed our annual racial justice campaign Until Justice Just Is.
This year, our racial justice campaign, Until Justice Just Is (UJJI), centers around the theme Building Bridges to Equity, and it will be based on the topics for the 2024 YWCA Racial Justice Challenge, which will be:
This year’s campaign will take place throughout the entire month of April, with the YWCA Racial Justice Challenge, a critical component of the campaign, running April 1–29. Join us all month long as we highlight
YWCA Local Association events and initiatives to inspire and engage our network of activists, advocates, and allies and advance racial justice — together.
About YWCA USA
YWCA USA is on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women, stand up for social justice, help families, and strengthen communities. We are one of the oldest and largest women’s organizations in the nation, serving approximately 2 million women, girls, and their families.
YWCA has been at the forefront of the most pressing social movements for more than 160 years — from voting rights to civil rights, from affordable housing to pay equity, from violence prevention to health care reform. Today, we combine programming and advocacy in order to generate institutional change in three key areas: racial justice and civil rights, empowerment and economic advancement of women and girls, and health and safety of women and girls.
Mission Statement
YWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all.
This YWCA mission statement was adopted by the General Assembly in 2009.
