YWCA St. Paul

Sarah Deer, of the Muscogee Creek Nation, is a Native American lawyer, and a professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality studies and Public Affairs and Administration at the University of Kansas. Deer is a fierce advocate for women who has worked for victims’ rights and sexual violence prevention for decades. #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth

We are immensely grateful for your contribution to our Give to the Max Day campaign. Because of you, we were able to surpass our goal and meet our $10,000 match! Thank you for helping us work to achieve our mission. Your generosity helps us advance our mission to eliminate racism and empower women, and promote peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all.

Join YWCA St. Paul, author Roger Barr, Caffe Biaggio and Minnesota Historical Society Press on December 8 for a tribute dinner in honor of Ruth Munson, whose tragic murder has gone unsolved for 87 years. The event takes place at Caffe Biaggio, the former site of The Ace Box Lunch, the last place that Ruth was seen alive. The event will include a three-course meal. Author Roger Barr will detail Ruth's history leading up to her tragic loss of life, details about the investigation, and raise awareness of the dangers that women face to this day in our society. YWCA St. Paul's CEO, Ashley Booker, will be speaking at the event to highlight the vulnerabilities Ruth faced, which women still face in today's society-- especially women of color. Tickets can be purchased at the following link: https://bit.ly/RMunson

YWCA St. Paul needs you to help us meet our $10,000 match before midnight. We are currently just under 75% of the way to our goal. Our work supports people who are the backbone of our society—women, and especially women of color. When you give to YW, you make it possible for us to provide programs and services to community members who need it most. You hold the power to help us respond to what will be (and already is) a rapidly increasing need for support services. The 57 families living in our housing, many of whom are dealing with chronic illness or leaving homelessness, rely on us. Hundreds of people seeking assistance with career readiness skills and finding gainful employment rely on us. Young women of color leaving the foster care system and learning to be on their own need us. Can we rely on you right now? https://bit.ly/4hF9tc3

Our Give to the Max Day goal is ambitious-- we aim to raise $20,000 to support YWCA St. Paul and our critical programs that so many of our neighbors rely on. We are currently just over 50% of the way to our goal! Can we rely on you to help us cross the finish line? Thanks to a generous donor, your gift will be DOUBLED up to $10,000! Each gift, regardless of amount, helps us change the lives of those in our community. Click here to give: https://bit.ly/4hF9tc3

“Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence. I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost. With so many seeking to erase transgender people — sometimes in the most brutal ways possible — it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice.” – Transgender Day of Remembrance founder Gwendolyn Ann Smith Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) began in 1999 as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a Black transgender woman, who was killed in a violent act of bigotry in 1998. Every year on November 20, TDOR honors all of those who have lost their lives due to anti-transgender violence and serves as a reminder of the violence that members of the transgender community must face simply for existing. YWCA St. Paul stands with the transgender community against violence, bigotry, and discrimination. We mourn the lives lost and are committed to the work of promoting equity, inclusion, justice, and freedom for all of those in our community. #TDOR

Chrystos is a writer and activist whose published work explores Native Americans’ civil rights, social justice, and feminism. This Two-Spirit poet explores issues of colonialism, genocide, violence against Native people, queerness, street life, and other intersections of personhood. Chrystos identifies with their father’s Menominee ancestry. #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth

YWCA St. Paul's STRIDE program helps former foster youth transition to living on their own for the first time. Your gift for Give to the Max directly supports this critical program for some of the most vulnerable members of our community. You can make a donation here: https://bit.ly/4hF9tc3

Continuing our celebration of #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth we are featuring Winona LaDuke! Winona LaDuke is an American economist, environmentalist, writer, and founder of the White Earth Land Recovery Project. Her work includes fighting for women’s bodily autonomy with Women of All Red Nations in 1985 to shed light on American forced sterilization of Native American women. LaDuke is a member of the Mississippi Band Anishinaabeg, an Ojibwe tribe.

YWCA St. Paul provides participants in our Career Pathways Program with the crucial support they need to build professional skills and overcome the barriers to financial stability. Your gift for Give to the Max Day is essential for YWCA St. Paul to continue providing critical services and programs such as our Career Pathways Program to members of our community. Click here to give: https://bit.ly/4hF9tc3