Program
YWCA Inspire Luncheons Will Motivate You
YWCA luncheons unite thousands of community leaders and government representatives. Top local and international businesses also attend. Together, these groups support women and girls in our community.
This annual event celebrates our collective strength. It deepens our shared bonds and commitments. Attendees work together to eliminate racism and empower women.
Keynote
The YWCA identifies an amazing keynote speaker each year. Past speakers include Maya Angelou, Gloria Steinem, and Viola Davis. Anita Hill and Stacey Abrams have also graced our stage.
Janet Mock will speak on September 18, 2025, at The Westin in Seattle. This millennial media powerhouse writes, directs, and advocates for change. She was the first transgender woman of color to lead a television show. She also secured a historic major studio deal. Janet hopes her work empowers others to tell their own stories.
About Janet Mock
Janet earned acclaim for her historic work on the TV series Pose. This show won both Peabody and Emmy awards. She also authored two New York Times bestselling memoirs. Redefining Realness and Surpassing Certainty detail her journey as a Black and Native Hawaiian trans woman.
Your Impact
Luncheon funds help the YWCA expand vital community programs. We work to reduce disparities based on race, gender, and economic status. Our programs increase economic opportunities and improve family safety. Your participation makes this mission 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.