YWCA Columbus history

1890 The first YWCA for Native American women opened in at Haworth Institute in Chilocco, Okla.

1894 The United States of America, England, Sweden and Norway together created World YWCA, which today is working in over 125 countries

1906 YWCA was the first organization to introduce the positive health concept and sex education in all health programming

1908 YWCA was the first industrial federation of clubs to train girls in self-government

1918 YWCA was the first organization to send professional workers overseas to provide administrative leadership and support to United States Armed Forces

And here in Cleveland, the YWCA also promoted women’s leadership—in 1923, one of the first two women elected to Cleveland’s City Council, Marie Remington Wing, was Secretary of the YWCA Cleveland.

1944 The National Board appears at the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate hearings in support of permanent Fair Employment Practices Committee legislation

1955 National Convention commits local Associations and the National Board to review progress towards inclusiveness and decides on “concrete steps” to be taken

1965 The National Board of YWCA created the Office of Racial Justice to lead the civil rights efforts

YWCA women marching on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. in 1968, joining a rally that was part of the Poor People’s Campaign.

1972 YWCA started the ENCORE program for women who had undergone breast cancer surgery

1983 YWCA National Board urges Congress to support legislation that opposes the South African policy of apartheid

YWCA joined the pro-choice demonstration March for Women’s Lives in Washington, D.C., in April 1992, at that time one of the largest protest marches in the nation’s capital.

1995 YWCA Week Without Violence was created as a nationwide effort to unite people against violence in communities.

2004 Igniting the Collective Power of YWCA to Eliminate Racism, YWCA USA’s Summit on Eliminating Racism, was held in Birmingham, Ala.

At the YWCA Annual Meeting in May 2012, a transition from the prior regional structure to a national federated structure was approved, followed by the adoption of new bylaws in November 2012.

2013 YWCA USA transitions from an internal national coordinating board to a new board of directors driven by women of influence as well as YWCA leaders.

Stand Against Racism became a signature campaign of YWCA USA. The corporate name changed from “Young Women’s Christian Association of the United States of America, Inc.” to “YWCA USA, Inc.”, effective December 15, 2015.

2016 YWCA launches the YWCA Is On A Mission brand awareness campaign to deepen YWCA’s impact in local communities and on the national scale.