Education is the Essential Equalizer

96 hours since the Supreme Court’s decision to end the use of race as a factor in college admissions, time seems to be moving backwards. We are here in 2023 and still, our children and grandchildren are going to be fighting for the same things our grandparents did. The Supreme Court's decision constitutes a profoundly distressing outcome for generations of communities of color. Hence, the question begs: what proactive measures shall we undertake in response?In our own YWCA hallways, our employees have real stories as first-time college graduates and students who have used their opportunities to change the trajectory of their families. So as to shed some light into these stories, Kerry-Ann, our CEO led a powerful discussion panel together with our Chief Operating Officer, Veronica Brown and Jose Filpo, our Vice President of Community Program. In lieu of our usual Take Action Tuesdays, we were live today in our Social Media Channels to ignite some powerful conversations on the Supreme Court’s decision to end the use of race as a factor in college admissions. Our conversations today firmly acknowledge that education serves as an essential equalizer.Yes, Supreme Court has rejected Affirmative Action ending use of race as a factor in college admissions. But the end is also a beginning. Echoing the words of Justice Sotomayor and Justice Brown - Ignoring race will not equalize a society that is racially unequal and deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life. We, at YWCA South Florida, will continue to address the deepest discrimination happening every day in the lived experience of women, and people of color, through economic disparities, educational inequities, and limited access to health care. Today, more than any other day, we ask you to join us.Join us to address systemic issues, to advocate for our communities of color, build networks of social justice allies, and unite their voices to educate, advocate, and promote racial justice. The end of an era could also just be a beginning for new. And every single day, we learn that despite challenges, there is also a deeper understanding that this could be an opportunity for us to take actions with even a bolder voice that advocates for leveling the playing field and provide a fair shot at a high-quality education for all.In solidarity, we align ourselves with organizations operating in South Florida, dedicated to tirelessly serving and advocating for the inclusion of Black and Latino students. Their paramount objective is to facilitate these students' attainment of substantive post-secondary achievements to galvanize them as the vanguard of forthcoming generations—emerging as leaders, educators, and staunch proponents of societal progress.We will be continuing to hold these panels and these conversations in the future, please stay tuned for more. Meanwhile, here’s an important note from our CEO, “We pledge to continue to work on these issues although it is easy to become discouraged. We recognize that we are in the middle of the race not the end. We have seen so much progress for generations. And, when huge leaps are being made, there are huge challenges too. The pendulum always swings and this is a moment of reaffirmation. Now it is our responsibility to carry the baton for our generation.”You can view the full video from today’s livestream.