Editorials, Opinion For 100 years, the YWCA Clark County has been empowering women from all walks of life right here in the area’s local communities. The organization’s employees and volunteers have remained steadfast about doing this work, often quietly, without fanfare and public adulation.
The YWCA Clark County began as a lunch counter, serving women who were in the workforce and needed a safe place to eat and gather during the work day with friends and colleagues.
The time line that follows is a reflection of the milestones for women and minorities across the country. In 1920, the YWCA Clark County formed a League of Women Voters branch. In 1946 it welcomed people of color. In 1960, the organization took an official stand against segregation. In 1975 a women’s emergency house was opened, and five years later a sexual assault program was created. In 2012 it lent its support to Referendum 74 for equal marriage rights, and a year later it did the same for the Violence Against Women Act.
The YWCA Clark County’s mission, “to empower women through mentorship, friendship, education, and support,” has been a passionate, ground-breaking decades-long effort that has led to social change, justice and equality. Thousands of women and children have benefitted from the services provided by the work of this organization.
This year, the YWCA Clark County commemorates a century of work. Upcoming events bring some of that much deserved fanfare and adulation. There is little doubt that its ground breaking, innovative and impactful efforts will continue to improve and protect the lives of women and children from all walks of life for decades to come.
