YWCA Northern New Jersey Receives $75,000 Grant from BD for Racial Justice Training
Bringing awareness, education and action to anti-racism, justice and equality
April 1, 2021 — YWCA Northern New Jersey (YWCANNJ) has been awarded a $75,000 grant from corporate partner and leading global medical technology company, BD, to support its mission of dismantling systemic racism in the communities it serves.
As a YWCA USA association, YWCANNJ’s core mission is to eliminate racism, and the organization has cultivated a long history of tackling racial and social justice issues. This $75,000 funding from BD will extend over the next two years and will help expand the reach of YWCANNJ’s evidence-based racial justice training programs, which educate parents, business owners and community members about key issues that can help eliminate racism. These racial justice education efforts will focus on communities throughout Northern New Jersey, where BD’s corporate headquarters are located.
“We are grateful to receive funding from a corporate partner like BD in support of our anti-racism work,” says YWCANNJ CEO Helen Archontou. “Our racial justice programs support community leaders, teachers, parents, and anyone ready to roll up their sleeves in every sector of our society to root out systemic racism. BD is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with us in this work, and I believe they are a shining example of an organization that understands their obligation to help build a fair and just world.”
YWCANNJ is fully engaged in anti-racism education, providing “Undoing Racism” training to Bergen County leaders and hosting events on topics including raising race-conscious children, the impact of climate change on communities of color, and census and voter education.
In late 2020, YWCANNJ also launched a 21-Day Social Equity and Racial Justice Challenge to provide community members with actionable ways to build effective social justice habits related to race, power, privilege and leadership. BD made core components of the YWCANNJ campaign’s curated content available to its 65,000 associates, worldwide, when the company hosted its own 21-Day Social Equity and Racial Justice Challenge in conjunction with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service and Black History Month.
“This donation to YWCANNJ is one small, but impactful way BD can demonstrate its firm and unequivocal stand against racism,” said Tom Polen, CEO and president, BD. “YWCANNJ’s racial justice training and education programs help all of us to broaden our understanding of complex and sometimes sensitive issues including race and power, so we can do our part to foster a more inclusive, diverse and just workplace and world.”
For information about anti-racism training programs for community leaders, corporations, schools, and places of worship, contact Lori Murray at lmurray@ywcannj.org.
About YWCA Northern New Jersey
YWCA Northern New Jersey is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting equality for all. We operate healingSPACE, Bergen County’s only Sexual Violence Resource Center (hotline: 201-487-2227), and are a provider of year-round child care, and senior wellness programs. Our 100th year kicked off the expansion of our service area to include Essex, Hudson, Morris, and Passaic counties and our continued commitment to Bergen. We improve the lives of thousands of women, girls, and families with the generous support of our donors. Learn more by visiting ywcannj.org, following @ywcannj on social media, and downloading the healingSPACE app from your app store.
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