Program
YWCA Inspire Luncheons Will Motivate You
YWCA’s luncheons bring together thousands of community leaders, top local and international businesses, and government representatives each year in support of women and girls in our community. Annually this event is an opportunity to celebrate our community’s strength, deepen our bonds and commitment, and work together to eliminate racism and empower women.
Keynote
Each year an amazing keynote speaker is identified. Past Luncheon keynote speakers have included Maya Angelou, Gloria Steinem, Viola Davis, Anita Hill and Stacey Abrams. On September 19, 2024, this year's keynote speaker is Dr. Mae Jamison. Some quick highlights of her career include serving 6 years as a NASA astronaut, became the first women of color in the world to go into space, and serve as Area Peace Corps Medical Officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Tickets for the 2024 YWCA Luncheon go on sale on Wednesday, June 12th. For BPW members, between June 12th and July 3rd, you can take advantage of the Early Bird special of 20% off the normal registration price! For tickets go to: https://www.ywcaworks.org/events/2024-09-19/2024-ywca-inspire-luncheon
Funds raised from the luncheon events help YWCA continue to provide and expand programs that reduce disparities based on race, gender, sexual orientation, and economic status; increase economic opportunities, and improve health and safety for women, children, and families.Your participation at our Luncheons makes all of this possible.
The BPW/WA and YWCA Connection
While mobilizing for World War I, the U.S. Government recognized the need for a cohesive group to coordinate identification of women’s available skills and experience. A Women’s War Council, financed through a federal grant, was established by the War Department to organize the resources of professional women. It was guided principally by executives of the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA). The National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs was founded on July 16, 1919, at a meeting led by Lena Madesin Philips, a key member of the YWCA of Kentucky. Over the years, the focus of the YWCA and BPW have overlapped in many areas.
BPW/USA became the first organization created to focus on the issues of working women. BPW worked throughout the 1930s to prohibit legislation or directives denying jobs to married women and lobbied successfully to legislatively end the legal practice of workplace preference for unmarried persons and, in the case of married persons, preference for males. BPW/USA was one of the first women’s organizations to endorse the Equal Rights Amendment in 1937.