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Learn about the trailblazer women who have shaped YWCA Metropolitan Chicago’s history.

You are living proof of our mission and your experience helps us strengthen and continue our work.

Read how our work with women and families has evolved throughout the decades.

Key Dates in YWCA History

1858

The first association in the U.S., Ladies Christian Association, formed in New York City
1946

Interracial Charter adopted, starting the process of desegregation
1960s

Membership and leadership positions opened to non-Christians
1963

Direct Action Program begun to ensure full desegregation in community YWCAs
1970

The One Imperative (“To thrust our collective power towards the elimination of racism, wherever it exists, by any means necessary.”) adopted
2015

Corporate name changed from “Young Women’s Christian Association of the United States of America, Inc.” to “YWCA USA, Inc.”