My Black History

• by ywca_admin
• February 15, 2018

 

There is a saying in the Black community that you have to work twice as hard as a White person to get into a professional position and to stay there. Eva del Vakia Bowles (1875 – 1943) was an American teacher and a Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) organizer in New York City. When she began working at the New York City “colored” YWCA in Harlem, she became the first Black woman to be a General Secretary of the organization. For eighteen years she organized Black branches of the YWCA and expanded their services to community members. She received recognition from then President Theodore Roosevelt for her work during World War I on behalf of the “Colored” YWCA. I wonder what it was like for Eva during the turn of the century as a Black woman and also a leader.

I ran across Eva’s bio before I was hired two months ago at the YWCA Union County. I am inspired by her story as a Black woman and as the new Assistant Executive Director of the YWCA Union County. I’m sure that Eva fought against racial Injustice as the first Black woman, General Secretary of our organization. What must it have been like for her to fight against racial Injustice before the Civil Rights Movement?

We are at a very interesting time in our history where racism is allowed to flourish and even encouraged by people who are in power. Just a few years ago, racism was just an undercurrent in the fabric of our society and not allowed to gain the momentum that we see today. The racial divide seems to get larger and our fight against racial and social injustice increases. The key is to recognize that we have the power to change things in our community together. Our first step is to take a seat at the table with our own community partners. We need to discuss how the social climate is impacting our agencies, our work with clients, and within our own hearts. We must take off the mask and become vulnerable in order to have thoughtful discussions about this issue.

I would have loved to have a conversation with Eva to ask her about her own experiences to gain some insight on how she was able to develop Black branches of the YWCA across this nation. I’m sure she would have given me some insights around her own resilience, fortitude and wisdom gained from her personal experiences. These qualities must have led to her becoming the leader she was. I now reflect on my own resilience, fortitude and personal experiences that will lead me to fight against racial injustice alongside the staff within my agency and our partner agencies.

I recently removed the scales from my eyes that I used to protect myself from the trauma that my community faces every day. This new awakening to the racial disparities, economic injustices and violence towards Black people, has resulted in feelings of anger and broken heartedness. I decided to use these feelings that would otherwise paralyze me to now fuel a burning passion to position myself as a leader to educate, organize, and collaborate with others in this fight against racial injustice.

Danika Ali, MS, LSW

Assistant Executive Director

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