Center for Racial and Gender Equity
The GIANT Company is a Founding Sponsor of the Center for Racial and Gender Equity
The Center for Racial & Gender Equity (CRGE) engages in education and advocacy to build community around our mission to eliminate racism and empower women to have equitable access to personal, community and professional opportunities, free from racial injustice.
Community Engagement
The Center for Racial and Gender Equity believes in building a Lancaster community that promotes equity and inclusion in multiple ways. Our community events are always free and open to the public.
Founding Sponsor:
21-Day Racial Equity Challenge
YWCA Lancaster will be launching a 21 Day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge on May 24, 2021 as part of a national movement to engage communities in anti-racist work.
Participants receive a daily email directing them to 3-4 curated activities such as reading an article, listening to a podcast, watching a video, or reflecting on their own personal experiences. Each activity is designed to foster greater understanding and awareness and challenge participants to confront their own understandings and to act towards the advancement of racial equity.
On Fridays, Noon – 1 p.m. from May 28 – June 18, join us our weekly Lunch and Learn where we will be having a dialogue surrounding the topics of the week’s challenge.
In case you missed it, below are copies of the 21-Day Challenge:
Black Artist Waystation
A historic first in Lancaster; a focus on Black artists in visual, performance, or spoken word. The Black Artist Waystation will highlight the breath of creativity in our community with three Exemplars receiving $500 honorariums. A full program of display will happen Juneteenth of 2021.
Annual 5K Race Against Racism
YWCA Lancaster hosts the longest consecutive-running Race Against Racism in the United States. Held the last Saturday in April, the race has broad corporate sponsorship and over 3000 participants.
*Registration fee for runners. This is a fundraiser that supports the Center.
Dorothy Height Book Club
Our social justice book club has a focus on diverse, thought-provoking writers and subjects. We meet the 3rd Thursday of each month.
Community Now Series
A series of discussions to understand what is happening in our community now. Hosted by YWCA Lancaster in partnership with local agencies and leaders. We include a diversity of voices on current topics.
Reclaiming Our Time
RECLAIMING OUR TIME is a collective space for the Black and Brown community hosted by the YWCA Lancaster’s Center for Racial and Gender Equity. This space recognizes the systemic inequities Black and Brown people endure while celebrating excellence and the unwavering ability to have joy. Together, this space will reclaim our time to gather, uplift, and mend as a people.
Women of Achievement
YWCA Lancaster seeks to recognize local extraordinary women who selflessly give of their time and energy to make our community a better place. This annual event recognizes and honors women who have demonstrated qualities of leadership and excellence in their personal and professional endeavors while supporting, embodying, and complementing YWCA Lancaster’s mission. *This is a fundraiser that supports the Center.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
A community celebration with a focus on children. Local leaders read books to children and every child receives an age appropriate book to take home.
Last year we had more the 300 children participate in all of the activities.
Training & Education
The Center for Racial and Gender Equity pairs staff with a diverse, community–based team of trainers who are passionate about our mission. We infuse our training with best practices; current events and understandable frameworks that allow participants to find new meaning and shift paradigms to create an inclusive community.
Training & Education Sponsor:
Customized Training
We bring a deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, especially in facilitation and training. These customizable workshops are available for schools, businesses, houses of worship, and community organizations. Let us develop a program for you that helps you do the deep and sustained work of change to eliminate racism:
- Anti-Racism/Anti-Sexism
- Diversity, Equity &Inclusion
- Discrimination/Harassment
- Intersectionality
- Policy Review/Consulting and Customized Trainings as requested
Racial Equity Institute
This is an intensive, multi-day training that arms participants with a foundational analysis of the systemic and institutional power of racism. Participants come away with a common language and understanding to do the internal work needed to dismantle racism and to communicate with others about racism and its manifestations. Participants will also develop working tools to identify and address racism within their respective spheres of influence.
*Updated for COVID protocols.
Listen, Learn and Lead
May 24 at 6 p.m., Distant Lands & Shared Experiences:
The session will focus on storytelling and the impact of colonization across the globe and in the US today. Panelists will explore how, as descendants of colonized lands, they’ve internalized values of white supremacy, patriarchy, and capitalism.
The idea is that we will write a letter to each other about “colonization, identity, home, and belonging”. The LLL will be us giving a brief frame of colonization and the transatlantic slave trade and then a reading of our letters and then engage attendees in discussion/dialogue.
Mobilize through Movies
Mobilize Through Movies is a monthly series hosted by YWCA Lancaster that focuses on social justice related films, series, and videos.
On June 8, we will be discussing the series Living Undocumented. The Netflix documentary series looks at the lives of undocumented immigrants living in the United States.
- Patience Buckwalter, CEO and Found of Grape Leaf Café and Empowerment Center
- Kate Espinosa, Know Your Rights Specialist with Church World Service.
Can’t make it?
Join us for future discussions every second Tuesday of the month.
Other information:.
– For any questions or concerns, please contact Danielle Perez at dperez@ywcalancaster.org or at (717)-945-7302.
Research and Advocacy
The Center for Racial and Gender Equity listening, learning and leading as advocates for an equitable community.
We will seek to better understand how systemic problems show up in our local community and the history that led to these realities. We will act and coordinate the community work necessary in order to lead change.
In partnership with others we sponsor events, trainings and provide resources to broaden community knowledge of systemic issues. YWCA Lancaster Board of Directors selects public policy areas annually and they include:
YWCA Public Policy
Our public policy areas include:
- Prevent gender-based violence and support survivors
- Ensure health care for women, girls, and marginalized people
- Eliminate policies and practices that criminalize people of color
- Protect the rights and safety of marginalized communities
- Equal pay & workplace fairness
- Protect immigrant women, children, and families
Contact Information:
Jasmyne King (she/her)
Director, Center for Racial and Gender Equity
In Fiscal Year 2020, 1,149 students & community members participated in anti-racism programs.