Letter: Keeping the housing conversation going
By Jessie Lavoie & YWCA Alaska Advocacy Committee – August 16, 2024
“As the incoming CEO of the YWCA Alaska, my organization is guided by the mission to eliminate racism and empower women. As we look deeply at our own regional history, we can point to critical junctures where the powers that be made choices that intentionally disenfranchised specific neighborhoods and demographics. As Charles Wohlforth specifically called out in his regrettably titled commentary June 21, “Some plats in the oldest parts of the city have racist covenants,” but continued to make the point that, to paraphrase, racism wasn’t as bad here as it was in other places. At the YWCA, we feel that’s gaslighting the problem: Just because you’re allegedly not the worst at something hardly gives you the moral authority to decide not to try to be better. The YWCA aims to eliminate racism, even knowing just how far we are from the goal — not marginalize or disavow racism.”