Pasadena Advocate, Native Civil Rights Group Named YWCA’s 2021 Ladies for Racial Justice – Pasadena Now

Juliana Serrano of Pasadena and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Pasadena branch are among this year’s YWCA Glendale and Pasadena Women for Racial Justice awardees.

Serrano and NAACP Pasadena, along with US MP Karen Bass, Los Angeles D-Los Angeles and immigration attorney Angeline Chen, will be honored during a celebration at the upcoming YWCA Women’s Breakfast for Racial Justice on October 20.

The Emmy-awarded news anchor Cher Calvin will moderate the virtual event on the topic of “Truth, Healing and Transformation”.

World famous poet Nikki Giovanni is this year’s keynote speaker.

Serrano is currently the Vice President of Advocacy and Equity at Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley and a member of the Pasadena Police Chief’s Community Advisory Committee.

“I’m really excited to be with Karen Bass and Angelina Ten, who is just an amazing local leader,” said Serrano. “To be recognized by an organization that I’ve worked for a lot over the years and that has so much respect for the NAACP Pasadena office is very exciting. The fact that Nikki Giovanni will be the keynote speaker is enormous. ”

Serrano said there were still many pressing issues of racial justice.

“Our country is still struggling very badly with racism and its impact on a wide variety of aspects of our lives including but not limited to health care,” she continues. “So when I moved to a healthcare provider, I know that part of my job is working with a team of incredible leaders to make sure we continue to provide equitable healthcare to the members of our community who need and do them . ”That health care is respectful and takes into account the cultural differences of people when entering health centers. Not enough drugs are doing that these days and that’s what we want to do at Planned Parenthood. “

Another topic that she finds very important is law enforcement and its relationship with the community.

“Our nation as a whole has been able to demand the conversation about policing and what we expect from our police departments across the country as a result of what happened to Mr. George Floyd,” Serrano said. “There have been so many others before and after him, but we’re postponing this conversation and it’s something we can’t be careful about. I am delighted that Pasadena has established its first community police oversight board. And after we have been appointed to this commission, we can soon begin this really critical work. “

This year, after more than a year of planning, Pasadena-Foothill Valley YWCA merged with Glendale YWCA, said Tara Peterson, CEO of YWCA Glendale and Pasadena. In September, the organization plans to reopen the Pasadena office at the Western Justice Center at 55 S. Grand Ave.

“The YWCA Pasadena board of directors has run the former organization there for several years without a chief executive officer,” said Peterson. “These board members are now part of our fundraising committee in Pasadena and their purpose is to help us keep raising funds to support the programs we want to run in Pasadena. So basically your job is to carry on the legacy of the YWCA Pasadena and help us develop the agenda and select the winners for the annual breakfast. “

For more information and to reserve tickets for the annual breakfast, visit www.glendaleywca.org.

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