YWCA Greater Austin News

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Latest News

My Farewell: Saying Goodbye after 9.5 Years

May 2, 2023

Saying goodbye is never easy. It’s a moment filled with mixed emotions, where the joy of new beginnings intertwines with the sadness of parting ways. As I sit down to write this blog post, I find myself grappling with these conflicting feelings, as it’s time for me to bid farewell. It’s a poignant moment, but…

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The Fight Continues: Abortion and the Fight for Mifepristone

April 19, 2023

As many of us expected Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk of the Northern District of Texas ruled that the abortion pill (Mifepristone) was incorrectly approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). He “issued a preliminary ruling invalidating the Food and Drug Administration’s 23-year-old approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, an unprecedented order that — if…

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Non-Preventative Care: Dismantling the Affordable Care Act and its Coverage of Many Preventative Services

April 4, 2023

Almost all of us are familiar with the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which is a comprehensive healthcare reform law that was signed into law by President Barack Obama in March 2010. The ACA, also known as Obamacare, has/had the goal of increasing access to affordable health insurance coverage for Americans, particularly those who had previously…

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Abort the Court: The Attack on Mifepristone and Reproductive Rights

March 22, 2023

Abortion, reproductive health, and general sex education have been highly politicized issues in the United States for years, and there have been ongoing attacks on reproductive health services, providers, and policies. These attacks can take many forms, including attempts to restrict access to contraception, abortion, and other reproductive health services. I was in disbelief when…

Read More

Herstory Now: Celebrating International Women’s Day

March 7, 2023

Today we celebrate International Women’s Day which is celebrated globally on March 8th March every year. On this day we celebrate women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements. The day also serves as a call to action to accelerate gender equality and the empowerment of women. Today is also a day to celebrate progress, raise…

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Don’t Be a Drag Just Be a Queen: Legislating Gender Representation

February 22, 2023

I have enjoyed attending drag shows for as long as I can remember. The very way these events challenge the ideas we have of gender and the amazing performers that display their talents is something that leaves me in awe every time. Drag shows have been a form of entertainment for decades and have offered…

Read More

Putting the AI in Racism: How AI technology has gendered and racial biases

February 7, 2023

If you have been reading the news or been on any other blogs lately you have probably seen ChatGPT, DALL-E, or OpenAI discussed or brought up. These platforms, and their parent company, OpenAI, are taking the AI world by storm and have been the talk of the tech town for a while, including my partner.…

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We Fight for the Future: The 50th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

January 24, 2023

Sunday, January 22, 2023, marked the 50th anniversary of the supreme court’s monumental ruling in Roe v. Wade. Although this should have been a moment for celebration, instead it was a day where people all over protested and marched to make it known that our bodies are ours, and only we can make the choices…

Read More

New Year New You: Why is Weight Loss Pushed on Women

January 11, 2023

In our society today we often hear how being “fat” is bad and makes the person “ugly.” This is never more evident than at the start of the new year when everything around us revolves around new year’s resolutions. When we go online, enter a store, or even talk to our friends we are bombarded…

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A Person Next to You: The State of Immigration

December 13, 2022

On December 3 I traveled back home to El Paso, Texas for my godson’s 3rd birthday party. I was excited to be going back home and to see my family whom I had not seen since the summer. As I was getting off the plane, I was happy and eager to celebrate, however, that would…

Read More

Archive News

My Farewell: Saying Goodbye after 9.5 Years

Saying goodbye is never easy. It’s a moment filled with mixed emotions, where the joy of new beginnings intertwines with the sadness of parting ways. As I sit down to write this blog post, I find myself grappling with these conflicting feelings, as it’s time for me to bid farewell. It’s a poignant moment, but…

Read More

The Fight Continues: Abortion and the Fight for Mifepristone

As many of us expected Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk of the Northern District of Texas ruled that the abortion pill (Mifepristone) was incorrectly approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). He “issued a preliminary ruling invalidating the Food and Drug Administration’s 23-year-old approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, an unprecedented order that — if…

Read More

Non-Preventative Care: Dismantling the Affordable Care Act and its Coverage of Many Preventative Services

Almost all of us are familiar with the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which is a comprehensive healthcare reform law that was signed into law by President Barack Obama in March 2010. The ACA, also known as Obamacare, has/had the goal of increasing access to affordable health insurance coverage for Americans, particularly those who had previously…

Read More

Abort the Court: The Attack on Mifepristone and Reproductive Rights

Abortion, reproductive health, and general sex education have been highly politicized issues in the United States for years, and there have been ongoing attacks on reproductive health services, providers, and policies. These attacks can take many forms, including attempts to restrict access to contraception, abortion, and other reproductive health services. I was in disbelief when…

Read More

Herstory Now: Celebrating International Women’s Day

Today we celebrate International Women’s Day which is celebrated globally on March 8th March every year. On this day we celebrate women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements. The day also serves as a call to action to accelerate gender equality and the empowerment of women. Today is also a day to celebrate progress, raise…

Read More

Don’t Be a Drag Just Be a Queen: Legislating Gender Representation

I have enjoyed attending drag shows for as long as I can remember. The very way these events challenge the ideas we have of gender and the amazing performers that display their talents is something that leaves me in awe every time. Drag shows have been a form of entertainment for decades and have offered…

Read More

Putting the AI in Racism: How AI technology has gendered and racial biases

If you have been reading the news or been on any other blogs lately you have probably seen ChatGPT, DALL-E, or OpenAI discussed or brought up. These platforms, and their parent company, OpenAI, are taking the AI world by storm and have been the talk of the tech town for a while, including my partner.…

Read More

We Fight for the Future: The 50th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Sunday, January 22, 2023, marked the 50th anniversary of the supreme court’s monumental ruling in Roe v. Wade. Although this should have been a moment for celebration, instead it was a day where people all over protested and marched to make it known that our bodies are ours, and only we can make the choices…

Read More

New Year New You: Why is Weight Loss Pushed on Women

In our society today we often hear how being “fat” is bad and makes the person “ugly.” This is never more evident than at the start of the new year when everything around us revolves around new year’s resolutions. When we go online, enter a store, or even talk to our friends we are bombarded…

Read More

A Person Next to You: The State of Immigration

On December 3 I traveled back home to El Paso, Texas for my godson’s 3rd birthday party. I was excited to be going back home and to see my family whom I had not seen since the summer. As I was getting off the plane, I was happy and eager to celebrate, however, that would…

Read More

Beyond the Male Gaze

With YWCA Greater Austin’s upcoming end of year event, Solidarity: Beyond the Male Gaze, it is important to break down the history of the male gaze as well as the progression of the idea first coined by Laura Mulvey. In 1975 Mulvey published “Visual Pleasure in narrative Cinema” which began a new conversation in film…

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Revisiting A Stolen History: Celebrating Indigenous Peoples

Earlier this year we celebrated the International Day of the Indigenous Peoples and with that, we celebrate the many contributions, successes, and fierce history of the Indigenous nations. With Thanksgiving day fast approaching, I thought it necessary and vitally important to revisit the importance of Indigenous peoples and their representation. As written previously, the film…

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Fighting in Solidarity: YWCAs of Texas Urge You to Vote

YWCAs across Texas are on a mission to encourage you to prioritize women/girls, trans, non-binary, and people of color with your vote this year. Through a get out the vote video project, YWCAs across the stare are wanting you to vote with Texas women, rans, non-binary, and people of color in mind. Women are the…

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A Push for Feminist Intersectional Solidarity: A Look at Dia De Los Muertos

HISTORY OF DDLM Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a Mexican holiday where families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink and celebration. “In Mexico, death rites date from pre-Hispanic rituals represented in murals, painted pottery, monuments, and artifacts, which shows how the Day…

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Women DEMAND ACTION: Register to vote by October 11 then Get Out and Vote!

On June 28, 1919, the Texas legislature approved a resolution ratifying the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote making Texas the ninth state in the U.S. and the first state in the South to ratify the amendment. Throughout the years we have seen many changes and new challenges for women. This year,…

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The Case for Latine

As Hispanic Heritage Month begins, I reflect on the terminology and language we all use to identify ourselves. Every day we hear people referring to themselves as Hispanic, Latino/a, Latinx, Mexican American, etc. Often, language is used to exclude or include certain populations, make assumptions, and place judgment. This makes is more important than ever…

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Get Out the Vote: Empower Yourself, Use Your Voice

Having the right to vote is not something that was just given to us. Through years and years of struggle, our ancestors fought and struggled so that we could have a voice today. At the start of this country, voting was limited to white male property owners, which in turn limited much of the population…

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Building Back: Celebrating Black Business Month

This month we celebrate National Black Business Month, which is a time organizations, businesses, individuals, and communities recognize Black businesses across the country. However, as we celebrate this very vital and important month, we must also reflect on our country’s history of violence, hate, and deep seeded racism. Our country was not always in a…

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The Reel Me: Representation Matters

Recently I was reflecting on all the media I was exposed to as a child and quickly realized that there were no real characters that showed me myself. I had a mainly nondiverse group of characters to watch and was never able to look at the tv and say, “she looks like me.” Realizing this…

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A Stolen History: Celebrating the International Day of the Indigenous Peoples

Yesterday we celebrated the International Day of the Indigenous Peoples and with that, we celebrate the many contributions, successes, and fierce history of the Indigenous nations. One such recent example is a new film. On Friday, August 5, 2022, the new Predator franchise movie Prey was released on Hulu and quickly became the most watched…

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Three Years Later: How are we still here?

Today marks 3 years since the terrible mass shooting in El Paso, Texas. Having grown up in El Paso this truly devastated me. I can remember waking up that morning as if it was any other day, but upon commencing my morning routine of checking the news I saw something that would shake my world.…

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The Evolution of Feminist Frequency: Women in Video Games and Culture

Video gaming has often been seen as a world dominated by a male audience, viewership, and consumerism. However, more recently there has been a surge of women who are consuming this form of media at a rapid rate. In the late 2000’s, Anita Sarkeesian came onto the scene and changed the way we look at video…

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The Green Wave: Safe and Legal Abortions

Click here to read the Washington Post article, “How Green Became the Color of Abortion Rights” by Samantha Schmidt

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YWCA Greater Austin receives $1 million donation from MacKenzie Scott

The YWCA of Greater Austin has received a $1 million dollar donation from MacKenzie Scott. The donation is part of Scott’s $4.2 billion-dollar philanthropic effort to support organizations serving underserved communities during the pandemic.  MacKenzie Scott is a novelist and philanthropist committed to supporting organizations working for social issues such as racial equity, LGBTQ rights,…

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End of Year Giving: Your support goes a long way!

In this time of giving its always important to be there for one another. Help us serve others through our various programs by donating to our end of Year Giving Campaign. Donate by clicking here. Remember, Instead of — you can $10 – Fancy cup of coffee — provides toys and art materials for children’s therapy…

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Giving Tuesday

December 1, 2020 Your support goes a long way! Instead of — you can$10 – Fancy cup of coffee — provides toys and art materials for children’s therapy session $25 – Tank of gas — providing a career service session with a social support specialist $50 – Two new books — help someone in urgent need access…

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The Not JUST Mental Health Symposium Starts Tuesday!

October 25, 2020 Not JUST Mental Health: The impact of sociocultural, environmental & systemic factors  VIRTUAL SYMPOSIUM: Tuesday, October 27- Thursday, October 29, 2020 Sponsored by Bumble, Austin Lakes Hospital, Rock Springs, Advisors for Change, and InSync Healthcare Solutions LLC For 113 years, YWCA Greater Austin has been a social justice leader in the community, advancing…

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Early Bird Pricing Ending Soon

September 28, 2020 Not JUST Mental Health: The impact of sociocultural, environmental & systemic factors  VIRTUAL SYMPOSIUM: Tuesday, October 27- Thursday, October 29, 2020 Reserve your ticket today! Early-bird pricing ends on Wednesday, September 30th. For 113 years, YWCA Greater Austin has been a social justice leader in the community, advancing our mission towards the Elimination of…

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This past weekend we mourned. Today we fight.

September 21, 2020 This past weekend we mourned, cried, and sent virtual grief hugs to our staff, volunteers, board, and our community due to the passing of iconic shero, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Today we fight. As we continue wiping these tears from our faces and sending condolences to Justice Ginsberg’s family and our nation, we are reminded of Justice Ginsburg’s message in her final days ” My most fervent wish Is that I not be replaced until a new President Is installed”. ~Naya Diaz, Executive Director, YWCA Greater Austin In honor of Ruth…

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YWCA Greater Austin Mental Health Symposium

September 10, 2020 Not JUST Mental Health: The impact of sociocultural, environmental & systemic factors  VIRTUAL SYMPOSIUM: Tuesday, October 27- Thursday, October 29, 2020 For 113 years, YWCA Greater Austin has been a social justice leader in the community, advancing our mission towards the Elimination of Racism and the Empowerment of Women. In collaboration Huston Tillotson…

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