Category: Uncategorized
YWCA Statement on the Death of Sonya Massey
The YWCA Central Massachusetts is grieving with the family and community of Sonya Massey, a Black 36-year-old mother of two from Illinois, who was fatally shot in her home by a former Sangamon County police deputy after calling for help from the police. Sonya’s death is yet again another instance of state-sanctioned violence and racialized trauma.
As Americans, we should be able to call for help without fear of losing our lives, irrespective of our racial identity, socioeconomic background, or location. The tragic death of Sonya at the hands of a responding officer and the disturbing video footage of the incident serves as a reminder that Black Americans are frequently confronted with safety concerns that are not experienced by much of the population, even at the hands of those whose job it is to protect and serve.
While we commend the swift action to relieve the suspected officer of duty, the charges brought against him, and the launch of criminal investigations, more must be done to ensure our justice system protects everyone.
At this moment, we must unite to accomplish meaningful reforms that advance the safety of all communities in honor of Sonya’s memory and the memory of so many others whose names we may never know. We call upon our Congress to approve the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which aims to address police misconduct, excessive force, and racial bias in law enforcement so that nobody else in the United States of America must go through what we are going through.
Let us work together to create a society where every call for help is met with safety and justice.
#UntilJusticeJustIs
YWCA Dedicated to the LGBTQIA+ Community
Image: YWCA employees at protest to denounce the anti-LGBTQIA+ policies enacted by the Worcester Catholic Diocese.
During a time when organizations are retracting support from the LGBTQIA+ community, it is our steadfast commitment to our mission that allows the YWCA to maintain unwavering dedication.
The YWCA is on a mission to eliminate racism, empower women and girls, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.
One blog post alone cannot adequately commemorate this historic milestone of 55 years of LGBTQIA+ Pride Month. The YWCA’s commitment to inclusivity and fairness is reflected not just in words but in our daily endeavors to ensure equity for all members of our community.
As a proud partner of several LGBTQIA+ organizations based in Worcester, we have joined forces in various impactful initiatives:
- Together, we protested the discriminatory anti-LGBTQIA+ policies implemented by the Worcester Catholic Diocese.
- We opened our doors to host meaningful events such as the Transgender Day of Remembrance, support groups, as well as a vigil to honor the tragic passing of teenager Nex Benedict.
- We collaborated and supported the planning and executing of the 2024 Transgender Day of Visibility celebration.
- We collaborated in an organized screen party of “Intentionally Erased,” a powerful documentary shedding light on the experiences of Black trans women in dialogue with Black cisgender men.
- We held Community Conversations on the belonging and inclusion of Queer POC (People of Color) in our YWeTalk
- Signed our support to Pride Worcester in their statement related to the Sutton Connections Conference. The statement denounced the visceral hatred that was targeted towards their drag performance and uplifted the importance of drag.
- We attended the 2024 Pride Worcester Launch event, reaffirming our commitment to inclusivity and celebrating diversity within our community.
Throughout the year, as we dedicate ourselves to taking action, we invite and encourage your involvement as well!
Image: Event organizers of the 2023 Transgender Day of Remembrance hosted at the YWCA CM. (Love Your Labels, MassEquality, YWCA Race and Gender Equity, Santora Automotives, Chastity Bowick Consulting, UMass Chan, Edward M. Kennedy)
In celebrating the diversity of the LGBQIA+ community and uplifting the voices of queer people of color this pride month, here are some recommendations:
Audre Lorde: Zami: A New Spelling of My Name: A Biomythography eBook
“Poet and author Audre Lorde used her writing to shine light on her experience of the world as a Black lesbian woman and later, as a mother and person suffering from cancer. A prominent member of the women’s and LGBTQ rights movements, her writings called attention to the multifaceted nature of identity and the ways in which people from different walks of life could grow stronger together.” Audre Lorde (womenshistory.org)
James Baldwin: Giovanni’s Room (Deluxe Edition) by James Baldwin | Penguin Random House
“James Baldwin (1924–1987) was a writer and civil rights activist who is best known for his semi-autobiographical novels and plays that center on race, politics, and sexuality.”
James Baldwin | National Museum of African American History and Culture (si.edu)
Kai Cheng Thom: I Hope We Choose Love | Arsenal Pulp Press
“I am a storyteller in the lineage of change-makers, and my message is simple: we need to discover a revolutionary love. I speak this message in poetry, in song and movement, in words delivered straight from my soul.”
SPEAKING & PERFORMANCE – Kai Cheng Thom
Leila Mottley: Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley | Penguin Random House
“Leila Mottley is the author of the novel Nightcrawling, an Oprah’s Book Club pick and New York Times best seller. She was also the 2018 Oakland Youth Poet Laureate. She was born and raised in Oakland, where she continues to live.”
Miss Major: Miss Major Speaks: Conversations with a Black Trans Revolutionary | Verso Books
“Miss Major is a Black, transgender activist who has fought for over fifty years for her trans/gender nonconforming community.
Major is a veteran of the infamous Stonewall Riots, a former sex worker, and a survivor of Dannemora Prison and Bellevue Hospital’s “queen tank.” Her global legacy of activism is rooted in her own experiences, and she continues her work to uplift transgender women of color, particularly those who have survived incarceration and police brutality.”
Paola Ramos: Finding Latinx by Paola Ramos | Penguin Random House
“Paola Ramos, who is of of Mexican, Cuban and American decent is a correspondent for VICE News and now an author. In her literary debut Ramos travels from the east to the west coast of the United States to connect and speak with people from various Latinx communities. “Finding Latinx” tells and shows the many facets, faces and stories of the LatinX Community in the United States. “
Paola Ramos On Finding And Defining Latinx In America (forbes.com)
PRIYA GUNS: Your Driver Is Waiting by Priya Guns | Penguin Random House
“Actor and writer previously published in short story anthologies, gal-dem, Spring magazine, and anonymously in the Guardian. She is a Creative Writing graduate from Kingston University. Your Driver Is Waiting is her debut novel.”
Rachel E. Cargle: A Renaissance of Our Own by Rachel E. Cargle | Penguin Random House
“An incisive queer feminist voice of a generation. Rachel Cargle is an Akron, Ohio born writer, entrepreneur and philanthropic innovation. Her work and upcoming book with Penguin Random House, centers the reimagining of womanhood, solidarity and self and how we are in relationship with ourselves and one another. In 2018 she founded The Loveland Foundation, Inc., a non-profit offering free therapy to Black women and girls.”
The YWCA is committed to actively participating in LGBTQIA+ events, collaborating with LGBTQIA+ organizations, championing equitable legislation, and standing up against discriminatory policies. Our support will continue.
If you want to collaborate with the YWCA, please get in touch with Levi Ekstrom, Race & Gender Equity Advocate, at lekstrom@ywcacm.org
Image: At the YWCA annual Stand Against Racism breakfast, members of the Love Your Labels board alongside the YWCA CM Race and Gender Equity Advocate and Chief Program Officer.
Statement about Supreme Court upholding Domestic Violence Gun Restriction
The United States Supreme Court The United States Supreme Court on Friday, June 21, 2024, in United States v. Rahimi, upholds federal law prohibiting individuals subject to final domestic violence protective orders from possessing, receiving, shipping, or transporting firearms or ammunition. This significant ruling is a victory for domestic violence victims, affirming the importance of protecting them from further harm.
Guns are frequently used in domestic violence homicides, making this decision a crucial step toward safety. Research published in the American Journal of Public Health found that the presence of a gun in domestic violence situations significantly increases the risk of homicide, endangering victims, other family members, and bystanders. Intimate partner violence involving a firearm is 12 times more likely to result in death than similar incidents that do not involve a firearm. These sobering statistics highlight the critical role firearms play as high-risk indicators for lethality in domestic violence relationships.
This decision stands firmly against recent trends of expanding gun rights, ensuring some longstanding protections remain intact for domestic violence victims/survivors.
Program Spotlight: Domestic Violence Clinical Counseling Program
“I hope this program grows into a team of clinical social workers who really understand coercive control, interpersonal violence, and domestic violence. That any victim, survivor, and thriver of domestic violence have access to therapy; otherwise, this violence will persist in our culture and harm those with the least amount of power to speak out and receive life-saving support.” -Marienelly Vazquez, LICSW (she/her/hers), Director of Clinical Services and Community Outreach
Program Spotlight: Domestic Violence Clinical Counseling Program
With the Clinical Counseling Program, social workers offer free talk therapy to participants to bridge the gap to formal support.
Domestic and Interpersonal violence is a national epidemic that impacts 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men. However, it most impacts marginalized communities, such as black, indigenous, and LGBTQIA+ groups of people. These groups are at a much greater risk of violence and consequently have less access to formal support such as the legal, medical, and behavioral health system.
Our clinical counseling program utilizes evidence-based models and frameworks specifically designed for those who have experienced gender-based violence but have little to no access to trauma-informed, culturally specific care.
Licensed Clinical Social Workers on staff work with participants with a holistic approach that incorporates psychoeducation related to:
- Healthy Relationships
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Skills to manage unhelpful ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving.
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Skills to help regulate intense, negative emotions.
- Motivational Interviewing to inspire change.
- Behavioral Activation to assist in managing symptoms of depression.
- Solution Focused Therapy to shift focus on future goals and aspirations as opposed to past experiences.
- Mindfulness Skill Development such as mindfulness, meditation, and body-scanning.
- Grief, Loss, and Bereavement informed counseling.
The program is FREE and available in a multilingual/multicultural capacity, so it’s especially beneficial to undocumented people and people who speak English as their second language. The program is also person-centered and specializes in treating PTSD, Anxiety, and Depressive symptoms related to domestic and interpersonal violence.
After an initial intake, clients can schedule weekly or bi-weekly sessions, with treatment evaluations completed every 3 months. Sessions can be held in-person at YWCA at 1 Salem Square or via telehealth on a secure platform. Participants will need access to a secure device with a reliable Wi-Fi signal in a confidential location.
Participants can be referred from another department within the YWCA Central Massachusetts, such as Domestic Violence Community-Based Services or the Housing and Shelter Department.
For questions regarding the program structure, referral process, or internship opportunities, please get in touch with Marienelly Vazquez, LICSW, directly at 508-767-2505×168 (confidential) or email at mvazquez@ywcacm.org (non-confidential).
If you or a loved one are experiencing domestic violence, call our 24-hour helpline 508-755-9030 or visit our 24-hour chatline at ywcahelp.com
YWCA Elects New Board President, Directors and Officers
Worcester, MA– YWCA Central Massachusetts, the longest-serving agency by, for, and about women and girls in central Massachusetts elected new directors and officers at its 137th annual meeting in June.
Christienne Bik (Shrewsbury) was elected to serve as president of the YWCA’s board of directors. Christie has held various positions on the YWCA’s board of directors for 11 years with increasing roles of responsibility including vice president and president-elect. She also served as a member of the executive committee and chaired the YWCA’s Public Policy Committee. Most recently, Christie served as a tri-chair of the YWCA’s LIVE Capital Campaign, spearheading the fundraising campaign for the YWCA’s $24 million renovations of its Salem Square facility in downtown Worcester.
Christie is director of government affairs and public policy at Fallon Health. In this role, she supports Fallon Health’s business objectives and mission by focusing on strategic public, community, and government relations opportunities. Before Fallon, Christie spent eight years in the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office as an assistant district attorney. Previously, she was a legislative assistant for Congressman James P. McGovern and legislative aide for State Representative Robert Spellane. Christie is a graduate of American University and received her Juris Doctor from Suffolk University Law School. She is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association. In 2007, Christie received the Massachusetts District Attorney Association’s Spotlight Award, and in 2014, she was honored with Worcester Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty award. Christie also serves on the Boards of the New England Council and the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans.
In her remarks to the YWCA membership, Christie said, “We have accomplished so much here at the YW but our mission of eliminating racism and empowering women is so far from being reached… The YW will continue to advocate for increased funding for early education on the state and federal levels, we will continue to lobby for policies that raise awareness about the negative effects of institutional and structural racism in our communities, and we will continue to fight for all women’s rights, including by not limited for the right to choose her own health care needs.”
Other officers elected to serve a one-year term are Alexizendria Link, president-elect; Monica Thomas-Bonnick, vice president; Kristin Sawash, treasurer; Kristin DeSousa, assistant treasurer; and Amane AbdelJaber, clerk.
Elected to serve a three-year term as members of the YWCA’s board of directors are Patricia Leary of Shrewsbury (MA), Jessica McGarry of Sutton, (MA), vice president/East Region Commercial Lending Team Lead at Country Bank; and Mary Ritchie Murphy of Worcester (MA), clinician at Pathways of Wellness.
Re-elected to serve a three-year term are Amane AbdelJaber of Shrewsbury (MA), program manager, Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General; Jeanie Connolly of Princeton (MA), senior vice president and commercial relationship manager at Bay State Savings Bank; Amanda Gregoire of Worcester (MA), vice president of Real Estate Services at MassDevelopment; Monica Thomas-Bonnick of Worcester (MA), vice president, business lending officer at Webster Five and executive director/treasurer at The Webster Five Foundation; and Rubby Wuabu of Worcester (MA), assistant district attorney in the Middle District District Attorney’s Office.
The YWCA’s Chief Executive Officer, Deborah Hall, said “I am honored and excited to have these remarkable women leading the YWCA as we embark on this new chapter, we are ready to move forward with our mission of eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.”
