YWCA staff are excited to regroup and recommit to our internal Race and Social Justice Workgroup, made up of staff from all three of our locations across Knox and Anderson Counties. This workgroup is dedicated to dismantling structural racism and xenophobic ideologies through cross-agency collaboration, community engagement, and listening, recognizing our biases, and implementing equitable policies. The workgroup focuses on internal organization policies and procedures, as well as connecting with our communities to further the work of dismantling racism and advancing social justice.

Our workgroup will be led by a team of 5 staff members and one executive leadership liaison. The 5 co-chairs are: Rachel Baker, GameChangers Program Coordinator; Lukas Gonzalez, FTAP Site Coordinator; Hannah Mendoza, Assistant Director of Victim Services; Amy Moden, Anderson County Mobility Mentor; and Kendrick Tate, Senior GameChangers Mentor Coordinator.Lauren Lindback, Chief Program Officer, will serve as the leadership liaison.

We look forward to sharing the group’s successes and progress in the near future!