This year, we were joined once again by our wonderful emcee, Angela Poe Russell, whose energy and friendliness set the tone for our event as our virtual attendees tuned in and our in-person audience gathered at The Westin Seattle.
In honor of Janet Mock and her Native Hawaiian heritage, we were treated to a performance by the Halau Hula Ka Lei Mokihana I Ka Ua Noe (The Lei Mokihana in the Misty Rain), who performed a traditional song and dance called Hula Kahiko. We transitioned from their storytelling dance to hear from YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish CEO Maria Chavez-Wilcox, who talked about her experience growing up as an immigrant from Peru and how she and her mother experienced many of the challenges that also face the people YWCA serves. We heard from YWCA program participant Candice, who shared her experience receiving assistance from and working with all three of YWCA’s program pillars, and how that support allowed her to have agency in her life’s story. Our event wrapped up with a conversation between Angela and our keynote speaker Janet Mock, who talked about her life as a storyteller and what it means to share your story with the world.
WE ARE ALL STORYTELLERS
Representation is important, and it’s important to hear stories featuring all kinds of narratives from the perspective of all kinds of people. Janet Mock dove into the conversation talking about what it’s like being on the flip side of that, and how it feels to be the one sharing that story. Catharsis, fear of vulnerability, reflecting on the intersection of her identities and how that impacted her life — these were all parts of her process, a process which ultimately came as a huge relief for Janet once her book was published.
“You get to hear folks who’ve engaged with the work, and how that work has inspired them. There’s someone who came up to me during the meet and greet and told me how [my book] helped them with their own transition.
You know, when I wrote the book, that wasn’t my intention, my intention was just to free myself of shame, of fear of what anyone would think about me, and all it really did was free me, right? And then in freeing myself through writing and telling my story, I was able to offer a pathway of liberation for other folks.”
- Janet Mock, YWCA 2025 Inspire Luncheon
Balancing catharsis with vulnerability is difficult, and Janet acknowledges that it takes courage to share your story, especially when reaching out to ask for help. “Watching Candice’s story, I can just think about the thousands of folks who take that leap everyday, and then transform their lives by saying, ‘You know, I need a little help right now.’ We as a culture– we should reward that, right? That communal care is what’s going to save us. We can’t look to institutions, we can’t look to politicians, we can’t look to governments, we need to look towards each other.”
This communal care is a large reason why Janet appreciates YWCA as an organization, and the work we do. Regarding our mission, Janet says, “Not many [organizations] are that explicit in what their mission is — eliminate racism and empower women. A lot of my work aligns with that.” Janet’s identity as a trans woman and her background as a Black and Native Hawaiian woman is important to her, and she highlighted how the hula performance near the beginning of our program really brought a sense of belonging and home to her, since hula is how she learned about storytelling through the body and through song. “It’s so much more than just a dance, it’s the ways in which we share our culture and our stories orally.”
Janet's reason for becoming a storyteller stems from her feeling silenced as a young person. Not having a voice and having her identity issues at the same time left her with a sense of unmooring with herself, but on the page, she felt like she had power. "It really started as a journalist, telling other people's stories. [...] I was able to hide behind that. I think after a while, it felt like I had this craft and this tool, and maybe it was time for me to step forward and to actually use the pen and tell my own story."
YWCA'S IMPACT
For over 130 years, YWCA has remained committed to our mission of eliminating racism, empowering women, and meeting the needs of our community. Every year, YWCA supports thousands of women, men, and families in need of support just like Candice.
"During COVID, I was trying to get out of a domestic violence, and my friend referred me to the YWCA. [...] I was feeling helpless. I thought I was gonna end up in the car with my child. Once I reached out to the YWCA, everybody helped me. Everybody had open arms, everybody… They were there. They were there when I had nobody else. They gave me a way out.
It felt amazing. It felt like they cared, like they weren’t just there for their jobs, they actually cared about me and my well-being. Feeling like there was a way out, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Feeling like I could do it with just me and my child. [...] If anybody's going through what I was going through, and feels like there's not a way out, there is a way out. And all you have to do is make that first phone call, and YWCA will change your life."
– Candice, YWCA Program Participant
“People enrolled in YWCA’s programs desire the same things we all do: to have an affordable home, build a career, live free from violence, care for our family, and be part of a healthy, vibrant community,” said YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish CEO Maria Chavez-Wilcox. “They want to be valued for who they are, not defined by stereotypes. They’re looking for the chance to write their own stories.”
In 2024, YWCA served nearly 10,000 women, men, and children — a 30% increase to the numbers we saw in 2023. During a time when agencies and nonprofits across the country are facing enormous pressures to their work and historic challenges to funding, we rely on your support now more than ever to continue offering vital, life-changing programs to our community.
If you missed the opportunity to donate at the Luncheon, there is still time to make an impact and help YWCA. Our community is the reason why we are able to continue providing programs that offer safety, stability, and opportunities to women, men, and families in crisis. We couldn't do this without you. Thank you for your continued support, and we hope you will join us next year for our 2026 Luncheon on September 24!
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Ana Rodriguez-Knutsen is the Content Specialist for YWCA's Marketing & Editorial team. From fiction writing to advocacy, Ana works with an intersectional mindset to uplift and amplify the voices of underrepresented communities.
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