BETA
This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here

More From Forbes

Edit Story

YWCA CEO Dara Richardson-Heron Shares Key Steps To End Gender And Racial Inequality In The U.S.

Following
This article is more than 9 years old.

In the past several years, thousands upon thousands of people have weighed in on the issue of gender and racial equality and what stands in the way of it today in the United States. But very few have directly seen the impact of these inequalities on children and women as has Dr. Dara Richardson-Heron, the CEO of the YWCA USA, the leader of one of the nation’s oldest and largest multicultural organizations promoting solutions to enhance the lives of women, girls and families. Richardson-Heron joined the YWCA USA in December 2012 with more than 20 years of leadership and management experience in the healthcare, corporate and nonprofit sectors and is using her voice to lead the YWCA USA and 226 YWCA local associations across the nation in building a national movement for the elimination of racism and the empowerment of women.

I was honored to talk with Dr. Richardson-Heron recently about her view of the specific steps we need to take to build an effective blueprint for action in the U.S.

Dr. Dara Richardson-Heron

Kathy Caprino:  Dara, can you please share what you see are the 5 most pressing challenges that affect the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women?

Dara Richardson-Heron: Absolutely. Gender equality is a complex issue that requires a thoughtful and multifaceted approach. Through our work in local communities as well as our national advocacy efforts, YWCA has identified five significant challenges to women’s equality:

1 ) economic instability

2) racial inequality

3) violence against women and girls

4) lack of access to healthcare for women and their families

5) the United States’ lack of commitment to empowering women and girls on the global stage

We believe that legislative solutions are necessary to address these challenges. To advance economic stability, there should be a strong work and family agenda that includes raising the minimum wage, fair scheduling practices,and paid sick days.

Racial inequality can be addressed by supporting the End Racial Profiling Act and highlighting the unique needs and experiences of women of color as targets of racial profiling. Domestic violence related homicides can be reduced through the enforcement of legislation designed to remove firearms from the hands of domestic violence perpetrators. Full implementation of the Affordable Care Act is necessary to ensure access to healthcare for millions of women and families. And the United States must ratify the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), illustrating to the world and the American people our nation’s commitment to women’s equality.

Caprino: What are the key steps individuals, organizations and Congress need to take here in the U.S. to build a successful blueprint for action, and monitor that plan with metrics, measures and results in order to improve women's equality and eliminate racism?

Richardson-Heron: There is power in what can be achieved when individuals, organizations and legislators take action and get involved with solutions to social and racial justice issues. Individuals should be encouraged to devote their time and resources to local nonprofit organizations that are working for social change by volunteering, serving on boards of directors and providing financial support. People should be challenged to get involved with the legislative process by learning about the issues and using their voices and votes to spur their elected officials to create legislative change on the local, state, and federal level.

Nonprofit organizations like the YWCA can make a significant impact by providing programs and services that meet the needs of individuals in their local communities while at the same time advocating for structural change. Both are critically important to advancing the needs of women and people of color. For example, a woman who is experiencing domestic violence needs immediate services such as legal assistance, housing, and safety planning. However, there is also a need for systemic change such as legislation that ensures firearms are removed from the home, reducing the risk of her dying at the hands of her perpetrator.

Congress can support an agenda that helps elevate women and communities of color. For example, we want to see Congress take immediate action this session to end racial profiling, get guns out of the hands of domestic violence perpetrators, pass a work and family agenda, keep the Affordable Care Act intact, and ratify CEDAW. Now more than ever, Congress has the opportunity to make a strong legislative commitment to women and communities of color.

We can begin to measure the progress of this collective effort by individuals, organizations and legislators by looking at increases in the numbers of women and people of color in leadership positions including elected positions, C-Suite and board appointments. We can look at economic advancement in terms of reducing the racial and gender wage gap, ensuring fair workplace practices and decreasing levels of poverty, especially among single mothers. We can see progress when incidences of violence against women and targeting of communities of color decline. Finally, we can measure success when we see an end to healthcare disparity.

Caprino: YWCA USA has been in the front line of fighting for legislation to affect gender-based violence specifically on domestic violence-related gun homicides. What elements of this work do you think can be applied cross-culturally?

Richardson-Heron: Violence against women manifests itself differently in every community or culture. Here in the United States, firearms are the most lethal weapons perpetrators use, resulting in the deaths of 48 women at the hands of their intimate partner each month. The accessibility of guns in the United States makes firearms a weapon of choice for perpetrators. Around the globe, there are other types of weapons used to perpetrate violence against women. For example, in Pakistan and India, acid attacks are more common because the substance has little to no regulation and is therefore widely accessible.

Underlying all violence against women, in any cultural context, is a system of patriarchy and misogyny.  Addressing gender socialization and myths about men and women is critical to ending domestic violence-related murders and other types of violence against women. One very practical way we can begin to address this problem is by doing research to identify trends and barriers within the appropriate cultural context. In the United States we know that a perpetrator’s access to guns is a barrier to safety for victims. Likewise, advocates around the world are working to identify barriers to safety in their countries and change those systems.

Sadly, violence against women in many forms is still a pervasive issue here in the United States and around the world. According to a recent United Nations report, 35 percent of women say they have experienced violence, 1 in 10 girls under 18 have been sexually assaulted, and 38 percent of women who are killed are murdered by their intimate partners. These statistics are indicative of a global epidemic of violence against women from which the U.S. is not exempt.

YWCA is part of a global movement of organizations that work to prevent gender based violence in all forms. Each year, YWCA representatives participate in the United Nations Commission of the Status of Women (UN CSW) in an effort to improve the lives of all women and girls. This year, YWCA USA and YWCA Canada hosted a panel during the UN CSW to discuss the Maryland Lethality Assessment Program as one possible best practice for reducing domestic violence homicides.

Caprino: YWCA USA launched its signature campaign “Stand Against Racism" this year. What will be the organization's efforts on a national level to fight racism and racial profiling, especially when it comes to women?

Richardson-Heron: The intersection of race, gender, and violence is often unexplored in discussions of racial profiling. While recent high profile incidents of racial profiling focus on black males, women are also targeted by law enforcement. As a women’s organization committed to racial justice, we believe it is critical to elevate the serious problems women of color face when it comes to racial profiling. This is why YWCA has made ending this injustice a primary focus of our signature campaign, Stand Against Racism.

Although research has shown that white women are equally or more likely to commit crimes, women of color are more likely to be targeted for searches, frisks, and arrests. For example, Ferguson, Missouri racial profiling data illustrates, black women were stopped more than their male and female counterparts. In addition, women who are sex workers, undocumented immigrants, or those with limited English proficiency, are more likely to be targets of sexual misconduct by police.

We believe that all individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, or gender should be ensured justice and protected equally under the law. Our work on racial justice combines advocacy with community level programming. Each year, nearly 300,000 individuals participate in YWCA racial justice programs, addressing systemic barriers in the criminal justice system, housing, health care and education. Approximately half of our local associations train law enforcement officials, host dialogues and develop private-public collaborations. YWCA supports legislation that bans the practice of racial profiling at the federal, state, and local levels.   We have committed to work with policymakers to support passage of the End Racial Profiling Act in an effort to correct patterns of systemic racial bias in policing and its negative and often lethal impact on various communities of color.

This April, community partners, and an estimated 250,000 individuals will join our 226 YWCAs in 47 states and take a Stand Against Racism. As a part of our Stand Against Racism campaign, our YWCAs across the nation will host a National Day of Action on April 23rd.

As part of that campaign, YWCA will host a Congressional Briefing on Capitol Hill discussing “Women as Targets of Racial Profiling” while YWCAs and community partners hold their own events and meet with legislators in their respective states.

For more information, visit YWCA USA and Stand Against Racism.

To build more success and authority in your life, visit KathyCaprino.com and Best Work/Best Life.