Essay Sample on YWCA NYC: Safe Haven for Young Women Since 1858

The YWCA of the City of New York (YW) was founded in 1858 when the ideas were borrowed from London a few years earlier and the main goal was to create a haven for young women. The association was headed by Dorothy height (1912 - 2010) who started her career as a caseworker with the NYC welfare association before moving to WYCA NYC (Bain, 2019). The main items under consideration were safe housing for students, teachers, and factory workers opened in New York City in 1860 (YWCA, 2019). The YWCA also provided educational resources. In late 1870, the YW started training women on various trades including typewriting, and sewing and later opened the first employment bureau for women before the YW expanded to other cites, and building its training center in 1912 at 610 Lexington Avenue. As a body that advocated for women's rights, the YW has been in the forefront of many movements especially movements related to housing, job training, race relations, labor union representation, and women's health initiatives

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Historically, The Women's Suffrage Movement which started in New York was instrumental in the fight for the women rights to vote between 1913 and 1917. However, more activism can be noted in the 21st centrist and even beyond the progressive era when Julia Lathrop campaigned against child labor leading to the development of Children's Bureau in 1912 (Klin, 2019). In the progressive era, women attempted to push for reforms in society and changed the role of women. The suffrage's perspectives and achievement have shaped the modern reforms as pertains to the issues of gender, race, and class.

Apart from social changes, women also steered greater political influence that enabled them to exercises their influence in the workplaces, healthcare public reform as well as public schools. In New York, for example, Ellen DeGeneres has used entertainment to influence social change and women empowerment, Ai-Jen Poo has also influenced activism when she empowered the domestics workers united in the New York City to demand a better working condition for the domestic workers (Wolfe, 2019). Ai-Jen Poo also raised awareness of the significant economic contribution that all the domestics workers in the New York city make and, in the process, she has helped in getting the abused domestic worker's legal representation as well as drafted the framework that guides the legal standards for the workers. Other modern-day activists include Moira Donegan, the New York City-based journalist who published chastity Media Men, the #metoo movement

Companies have also engaged in corporate and social activists. While most companies are focused on keeping a healthy image, some have stood by and funded social activism. For example, Walmart has often sidestepped social movement and in most cases, closes during social movements. On the other hand, companies such as Lyft has often used or exploited social activism because social activism presents them with strategic opportunity. Lyft and Nike actively participated in social activism by donating to ACLU and Uber supported the immigration policies. Nike supported athletic activists such as Kaepernick probably for the wider reach. This was unlike the 20th century when companies did not want activism to interop capitalism. According to Women's Activism NYC (2019), other organizations that have partnered with the activist groups include Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony Statue Fund, New York Council for the Humanities and Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (Sage)

Conclusion

Women may not have been at the frontline in battlefields but they have always played a significant role in wars, reforms and other political and social changes. Women influenced changes and this can be traced back to the world wars, and civil rights movements. Three waves of feminist's movements helped prove that women are better infusers of social change. Activists in New York may not have started with women but women played a dominant role in those activists from the 17th century to the 21st century whether activists focused on issues such as historic preservation, civil rights, wages, sexual orientation, and religious freedom. Women fought the civil rights wars and actively participated in activisms such that overlooking their efforts is imprudent.

References

Bain, M. (2019). Nike's Kaepernick ad is what happens when capitalism and activism collide. Retrieved from https://qz.com/1400583/modern-corporate-social-activism-looks-like-nikes-kaepernick-ad/

Klin, R. (2019). The Women's Suffrage Movement: Made in New York. Retrieved from http://www.hvmag.com/Hudson-Valley-Magazine/November-2017/The-Suffrage-Movement-Made-in-New-York/

Wolfe, L. (2019). How the YWCA Was Influential in Promoting Civil Rights. Retrieved from https://www.thebalancecareers.com/the-history-and-impact-of-the-ywca-on-women-s-rights-3515999

Women's Activism in NYC. (2019). Women's Activism in NYC. Retrieved from http://www.womensactivism.nyc/

YWCA. (2019). YWCA. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YWCA