The murder of 27-year old Walter Wallace, Jr. of Philadelphia– in front of his loved ones – shatters our hearts yet again in so many ways.  Mr. Wallace was a Black man in crisis, and a son, father, husband, brother, and neighbor—one of our beloved ones befallen by senseless violence. When will we honor each other’s humanity? When can we once again celebrate the glory of our personhood and the sanctity of life?

In the days ahead, we expect full transparency and a thorough investigation into the events that led to Mr. Wallace’s death, and that we bring those accountable to justice.

At YWCA, we believe that legislation, policies, and standards of conduct should be enacted and enforced to end police violence, use of force, and abuse of people of color and increased accountability and transparency through independent investigation, training, and data collection.

We encourage you to join and stand with us as we work to eliminate racism, empower women and promote peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. You can also take action now by:

• Learning about racial justice, become an advocate for change, and invite others to join you by taking our Until Justice Just Is pledge.

• Visiting YWCA USA’s Action Center to join us in taking action on our 2019-2020 legislative priorities.

• Donating to support Walter Wallace’s family.

YWCA is committed to ensuring that everyone is afforded equal protection under the law. Too often, stereotypes, biases, and racial power dynamics are embedded in our laws and public policies. They are also reflected in the use of racial profiling, heightened surveillance tactics, targeted enforcement strategies, and other practices that increase policing of certain racial and ethnic communities (but not others) that lead to criminalization and often the death of people of color.

At YWCA, we demand a world of equity and dignity.  We envision a world of opportunity. We commit ourselves to the work of racial justice. We will get up and continue to do the work until injustice is rooted out, until institutions are transformed, and until justice, just is.