SAMPLE SOCIAL MEDIA YWCA USA PUBLIC POLICY PRIORITIES

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1 SAMPLE SOCIAL MEDIA YWCA USA PUBLIC POLICY PRIORITIES Social media is useful for raising awareness, educating others, and elevating YWCA s presence and reach. As you use this toolkit as a resource and starting point for your own social media efforts around policy priorities, please keep the following in mind: Space-permitting, don t forget to use hashtags to connect your post to the larger conversation. Issue education is vital when it comes to policy priorities, and social media is a great way to do this. Share statistics, data, and qualitative research. Retweet partner organizations in this work, or tag them in relevant posts. Encourage them to retweet and share with their followers. RACIAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS End Racial Profiling and Criminalization of People of Color Systemic racism is at the core of racial profiling and criminalization of people of color. #EndProfiling Ending racial profiling is a women s issue too. Racial justice must be part of women s empowerment. #SayHerName #EndProfiling POTUS made 3 exec orders in early 2017 that institutionalize racial profiling. READ: #EndProfiling A UC Davis study found the probability of being unarmed & shot by the police is 3.49x higher for Black Americans than for White Americans. Black children are overall twice as likely as White children to be subjected to corporal punishment. #EndProfiling #StandAgainstRacism Police targeting of Black men has garnered a lot of media attention over the last few years. But women are impacted too. The profiling and violence that Black, Latina, Native, and Muslim women face often goes unacknowledged, but the reality is the women of color are also at risk. Racial profiling, excessive use of force, and state violence are all women s issues and violence against women of color is an issue of racial justice. #SayHerName Support Girls of Color Who Are Trauma Survivors Many girls of color who experience trauma are punished rather than offered community-based support. #LetHerLearn 1

2 Girls of color are being criminalized by school discipline systems. They are pushed out of school & into juv. justice systems. #jjdpamatters We must include girls of color in policymaking & research. #LetHerLearn Black girls are suspended from school more often than girls of any other race or ethnicity, and at 2x the rate of White boys. #LetHerLearn Girls of color have the highest rates of confinement in juv. facilities often for nonviolent offenses that are trauma responses. #jjdpamatters All trauma survivors should have access to appropriate support services to help them heal and thrive, but too often, girls of color who experience trauma are punished instead when they act out for help. As a result, girls of color are pushed out of schools and overrepresented in the school discipline and juvenile justice systems. The numbers don t lie: Black girls are more likely to be suspended from school than girls of any other race or ethnicity, six times more likely than White girls, and twice as likely as White boys. Girls of color need better access to community resources and support. Support the United Nation s Gender Equality and Women s Empowerment Goals YWCA USA supports #CEDAW, & believes it is long past time to end discrimination against women in all spheres economic, political & social We re proud to be part of a global sisterhood of YWCAs, working together to end discrimination against women & girls everywhere #YWCAsisters We are proud to be part of a global sisterhood of YWCAs, all working to end all forms of discrimination against women and girls everywhere, empower women and girls, and ensure their leadership in all levels of political, economic, and public life. That s why YWCA USA is proud to support CEDAW! EMPOWERMENT AND ECONOMIC ADVANCEMENT Improve Women s Economic Security by Expanding Access to Sick, Safe, and Family Leave Workers should never have to choose between their job and their health or loved ones. #paidleave #paidsickdays #FAMILYAct Working women and their families, businesses, and the economy all benefit from policies like #paidleave & #paid sick days. Taking an unpaid sick day can be the difference between a full refrigerator & an empty one. #paidsickdays #paidleave 2

3 #DYK: survivors of #DV cannot use #FMLA to seek protection from an abuser? It s long past time to have #safeleave. No one should have to choose between their livelihood and their health, family, or safety. Yet far too many women and families, especially women and families of color, have to make this choice all the time. Missing a few days of work, or even just one day, can have huge economic consequences. Women make up more than half of today s workforce; for many families, women are not only the breadwinner, but also bear significant caretaking responsibilities at home. Current workplace policies are woefully out-of-date, and it s long past time to reflect today s reality. We need basic workplace protections like paid sick and family leave, and job-protected safe leave. No one should have to choose between financial security and taking care of themselves or a loved one. Remove Childcare and Housing Barriers to Women s Workplace Participation #DYK many childcare programs do not operate during the evening, overnight, or early morning hours that many low-income parents work. Funding streams like CCDBG and HeadStart can make a huge difference for low-income working parents & their kids. #DontCutHerOut YWCAs across the country support working women with quality affordable childcare & housing programs. #OnAMission #DontCutHerOut Everyone deserves safe, affordable housing but not everyone can access it. Federal funding like CDBG, HUD, & VAWA can help. #DontCutHerOut Achieving financial self-sufficiency is no easy task for many Americans especially for lowincome mothers who must juggle childcare, unstable housing, and unpredictable work schedules. Organizations like local YWCAs and smartly allocated federal funding can help. Tell your legislators today: protect funding for women and families. HEALTH AND SAFETY Promote Federal Legislation to Support Survivors of Gender-Based Violence As the largest network of #DV service providers in the country, we are committed to ending gender-based violence. #OnaMission We can do more to support survivors of gender-based violence. Here are some policies that would do that: [link to article or policies] 3

4 Federal legislation like #VAWA & #VOCA are crucial to supporting survivors. We must ensure these are not rolled back. #DontCutHerOut #DV victims lose 8 million days of paid work each year as a result of their abuse. #Safeleave would help change that. Survivors shouldn t lose their jobs b/c they need time to seek medical/legal/safety services. It s time to pass the #SAFEAct. #SafeLeave As the largest network of domestic violence service providers in the country, we are committed to reducing and ending gender-based violence. One component of this is promoting federal legislation that would support survivors legislation like the Violence Against Women Act, Victims of Crime Act, and the SAFE Act. We must stay vigilant and ensure that no crucial legislation is rolled back or reduced, and we must continue to push for job-protected safe leave for survivors of gender-based violence victims of such violence should be allowed to seek medical attention or legal help, recover, engage in safety planning, and participate in legal proceedings without fear of losing their jobs. Improve Maternal Health Outcomes for Women of Color Unequal access to quality healthcare is a driving factor behind the tremendous racial disparities in #maternalhealth in the U.S. While #maternalmortality rates have decreased worldwide, it has increased in the U.S. over the last 15 years. #WOC are more likely to experience #maternalhealth problems, including death. Black women are 3-4x more likely to die from complications of pregnancy or childbirth than White women. #maternalmortality #WOC are at a higher risk for poor #maternalhealth outcomes; they re less likely to have access to quality, affordable healthcare It should go without saying that access to quality, affordable reproductive and maternal healthcare is crucial to ensuring maternal health. Yet, the United States continues to fall behind. While maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity rates have decreased worldwide, they have been increasing in the United States over the past 15 years. Black women are three to four times more likely to die from complications of pregnancy or childbirth than White women. The driving factor behind such racial disparities? Unequal access to quality healthcare. Women of color are less likely to have access to quality, affordable, appropriate, and timely maternal care. Ensure Access to Quality, Affordable Health Care for Women and Girls The #ACA, Medicare, #Medicaid, & CHIP are vital to helping women & families manage the cost & accessibility of healthcare #ProtectOurCare 4

5 The #ACA has provided far-reaching benefits to women, incl. preventative health services. #ProtectOurCare 3.3 million #WOC who gained #ACA coverage live in a #Medicaid expansion state. Losing expansion would hurt them. #ProtectOurCare Access to reproductive health services is crucial to the lives and wellbeing of women. #StandwithPP #ProtectOurCare Without the #ACA, 9.5 million women would be uninsured. #ProtectOurCare The #ACA has led to historic drops in uninsured rates among women of color. #ProtectOurCare For many women, children, and people of color, getting health insurance coverage and medical care is a struggle. The ACA, as well as programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP, are essential to helping women and their families manage the cost and accessibility of their healthcare. Repealing the ACA would be detrimental to women s health across the country. 9.5 million women would be uninsured if not for the ACA. Repealing the ACA will be devastating for women s health across the country. Women will lose coverage for no-cost preventative services, insurance companies will be allowed to discriminate against women again, and women of color, LBQ/TGNC individuals and other marginalized communities will lose access to protections and tools meant to reduce health disparities. ### 5