Equity Institute

YWCA’s Equity Institute is dedicated to promoting racial equity at all levels. In order to do so, we engage with individuals, community groups, and institutions. Our full range of consulting, training and education, community engagement programs, racial equity resources, and annual events offers opportunities for all to develop the knowledge and resources to move towards racial equity.

We believe that all people have the right to be heard, and we believe in the value of listening. We also believe that education exposes truth and leads to greater understanding, and ultimately, to action.

Start or continue your racial equity journey here.

Happy women shaking hands at a racial equity event

Consulting

Ideal for institutions, consulting provides a comprehensive overview of how to begin and implement an equity initiative within your organization.

Participants in a racial equity workshop

Workshops

For all. Workshops help participants build skills necessary to engage in honest reflection, and identify how systemic racism affects our communities.

Let's Talk at Lunch offers informal racial equity discussion

Community Engagement

Informal and casual. Come together over coffee or lunch to discuss current issues of racial justice and learn from one another's experiences.

Unite Against Racism

Join with community to show your support of racial justice and equity.

Bookcase showing racial equity resources

Resource Library

Explore our resource library to find videos, books, podcasts, and local resources to deepen your understanding of equity.

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The YWCA is able to ask the tough questions. And they are able to allow room and space in a very comfortable environment to have those discussions so that people feel comfortable and courageous. They bring different people to the table to have difficult conversations around equity and around racial justice that Evanston has never had the platform to do before.

Monique Parsons, McGaw YMCA President/CEO

Our racial equity programs will:

deepen the knowledge that individuals can utilize to become more effective anti-racist advocates
help build commitments to policies and practices that create long-term, sustainable change
invite open dialogue and discussion towards mutual understanding raise awareness of oppression on the interpersonal, institutional, and systemic levels

We invite you to email or call Equity Institute Director Tiffany McDowell at tmcdowell@ywca-ens.org to learn more. And we encourage you to live the mission with us.

Listen and learn more from our racial equity educators!

Learn more about our young men’s leadership and “Building Healthy Relationships” programs by listening to this “It’s Skokie” podcast. It features Antonio Rice (Violence Prevention Educator) and Eileen Hogan Heineman (Manager, Equity Institute Community Outreach) talking about our violence prevention and racial equity work in Skokie — programs which are available in many other communities in northeastern suburban Chicagoland.

I want to learn more about implicit bias. Where do I start?

We all have biases, regardless of our identities. Acknowledging our racial biases is a critical first step in building equitable communities. Harvard has developed a test to illuminate biases that you may not be aware of. Click here to read more. Want to learn more about how to identify your biases? Register for our next Implicit Bias workshop!

How can I make my workplace more equitable?

To build a diverse and equitable workplace, leaders have to put in more work and ask difficult questions. Recruiters should put in more legwork to find candidates of color, and organization leaders should assess whether everyone is compensated fairly. Read more here for other resources to improve your workplace and click here to learn how our Equity Consultants can work with you to achieve your equity goals.

Racism and COVID-19

The pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on communities of color worldwide. Compounding factors such as food insecurity, lack of quality housing, having to use public transportation, and limited access to healthcare has not only increased exposure risk for people of color, but also increases comorbidities. Read more about racism and public health outcomes here.

I want to take action in my community, where do I start?

Our Racial Equity Workshops are a great place to start for people who are looking to educate themselves on the role racism plays in their community. The Equity Institute also hosts yearly events to bring people together to advance racial justice. You can also visit the YWCA Action Center to take a stand on national legislative priorities.