[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 165 (Thursday, October 4, 2018)] [Senate] [Pages S6537-S6538] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] 160TH ANNIVERSARY OF YWCA Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, this year, the Young Women's Christian Association, YWCA, celebrates its 160th anniversary in the United States. It is the world's oldest and largest multicultural women's organization, fighting at the forefront of the most critical social movements, from women's empowerment and civil rights to affordable housing, pay equity, violence prevention, and healthcare. The YWCA traces its origins to the battlefields of the Crimean War in 1855. Formed in London, philanthropist Mary Jane Kinnaird and her friends, the organization helped nurses returning from the war find homes and improved the lives of those caught up in the Industrial Revolution. Women were working long hours in poor and unsafe conditions, and they had few opportunities for healthy activity. The YWCA's early hostels evolved to become the organization we know today. By 1858, the year we are honoring, the YWCA crossed the Atlantic and created residences in New York and Boston. It opened its first U.S. boarding house for female students, teachers, and factory workers in 1860. Since forming in the United States, the YWCA has grown to include 2.6 million members and 300 local associations in the country. Throughout history, the YWCA has been the vanguard for social change. In the 1870s, it held the first typewriting classes for women. Typewriting was considered a man's job at the time. During the same time, it also opened an employment bureau for women. Normal, IL, had the first YWCA student association in 1873. In 1877, the YWCA Chicago started providing medical services at the homes of the sick. This is the precursor to the Visiting Nurses Association. In the 1890s, the first African-American YWCA branch opened in Dayton, OH. A YWCA opened for Native Americans in Oklahoma during the same time. The YWCA was helping immigrant women adapt to the United States in 1909 with bilingual instruction. These were revolutionary changes. In 1919, the YWCA convened the first meeting of doctors, the International Conference of Women Physicians, with attendees coming from 32 countries to focus on women's health issues. The YWCA Convention in 1920 was an early advocate for the 8-hour workday with no night work and the right of labor to organize. The YWCA also fought on the frontlines of civil rights. In 1915, the YWCA held the first interracial conference in the South in Louisville, KY. In the 1930s, it worked toward desegregation and encouraged its members to speak out against the violence against African Americans. In 1946, the YWCA adopted its interracial charter, a full 8 years before the U.S. Supreme Court decided against segregation. The Charter declared, ``Wherever there is injustice on the basis of race, whether in the community, the nation, or the world, our protest must be clear and our labor for its removal, vigorous and steady.'' From opening Atlanta's first integrated public dining facility in 1960 to being a sponsor of Dr. Martin Luther King's March on Washington, the YWCA continued the fight for equality. [[Page S6538]] In 1970, the YWCA created `One Imperative' to end racism wherever it exists. The modern YWCA is just as committed to the same principles that it's always had and is needed more than ever in the times we live in right now. The YWCA's annual Stand Against Racism campaign and its racial justice programs and services engage 140,000 people every year. It serves more than 122,000 women annually with economic empowerment programs, including job training, financial literacy, salary negotiation, and leadership development. And it continues to offer housing and childcare programs, helping build a supportive foundation for families. More than 900,000 women and families participate in the YWCA health and safety programs and services, including domestic violence and sexual assault services, fitness programs, and health resources. These programs often are critically important to communities of color where high-quality health wellness programs are not readily available. For twenty years, the YWCA has hosted a Week Without Violence to help end gender-based violence with workshops, community service opportunities, and public awareness events. As we celebrate the YWCA's 160 years of work here in the United States, we are reminded daily that we need to continue the fight against racism, sexism, and economic inequality. And the YWCA is leading the way--just as it did 160 years ago. ____________________