Happy 120th Birthday, YWCA O'ahu!
A multicultural celebration photo found in YWCA Oahu’s archives.
As many of you know, the year 2020 brings the 120th anniversary of our YWCA O'ahu.
I started at this organization in 2012 as Chief Communications Officer, I have learned a great deal about our history, including how we started and how we have grown in our community – by talking story with individuals whose lives have been touched by our work, reading some old board meeting minutes dating back to the early 1900’s and through other people’s writings about us.
I feel close to our history every time I read newspaper archives which mention YWCA or chronicle the events which took place in our history. To me, that was one way to validate what I heard or learned anecdotally.
Every time I saw YWCA’s name or the names of our founding members, I got chicken skin because each article I read took me back to those times when our founders came together to create a place of their own — YWCA O'ahu. Searching those newspaper archives sort of became my hobby.
April is our birthday month — when YWCA O'ahu was founded in 1900. Our history began with this letter that appeared in a local newspaper called The Pacific Commercial Advertiser on April 23rd, 1900.
Above is a clipping of that letter glued onto our board minutes. I will tell you what happened as a result of this letter in a separate post.
The writer identifies herself as “A Working Woman” and calls for the creation of a YWCA in Honolulu. Her letter is headlined She Urges A Young Women’s Christian Association Home.
The writer points out a lack of “a respectable house” for working women. She said, “Honolulu is sorely needing an attractive Young Women’s Christian Association building, where board and lodging, at as near cost as it may be had are given to those who are trying to make an honest living.”
The writer refers to what was happening on the mainland, citing Philadelphia as an example where 750 working women could access “board and washing for $3.50 to $4 a week.”
At the time this letter was written, YWCA was growing on the mainland, especially on the east coast. In 1858, the first association in the U.S., Ladies Christian Association, was formed in New York City. The first boarding house for female students, teachers, and factory workers opened in New York City in 1860. Boston and Philadelphia soon followed suit.
It amazes me how the women back then gathered to create YWCA as a place specifically for working women and for those who sought to obtain employment. We are part of this history and we are carrying on this tradition.
I would like to start this special month by thanking you for being part of our family. I know we are going through an extraordinary time, but let’s not forget we have a lot to cherish and celebrate. Our history gives us a moment to reflect on our role and place in our community. We have a lot to be proud of. We are rich.
Let the birthday month begin!
-Noriko Namiki, YWCA O‘ahu CEO