On Wednesday, August 17, we held our first-ever, in-district Advocacy Day. A total of 100 local YWCAs in 40 states met with 60 Senators and 84 Representatives and their staff members with one unified message: women’s economic justice cannot wait!

Today in the United States, women – and women of color especially – still earn only a fraction of what white men do and face significant barriers to economic security and empowerment. YWCA believes that no one should have to choose between their health, their family, or their safety, and their economic security. One critical step in correcting this injustice is securing federal standards in paid family and medical leave, paid sick days, and job-protected safe leave for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Yesterday, on Advocacy Day, YWCAs across the country took a stand for working women and families, calling on their legislators to support policies that are crucial to the economic empowerment and security of women and families: the Healthy Families Act, the Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act (FAMILY Act), and the Security and Financial Empowerment (SAFE) Act of 2015.

Want to join the movement? Urge your members of Congress to support these crucial pieces of legislation: it’s time to pass the Healthy Families Act, the FAMILY Act, and the SAFE Act! Visit our action center at www.ywca.org/YWCAday

In just one example of some of the great action that took place on Advocacy Day, advocates from YWCA of San Francisco & Marin sent us some wonderful reflections on their legislative meetings with everyone from California Assemblymembers to Senators Boxer and Feinstein:

As part of Advocacy Day, we invited local YWCAs, friends, and supporters to participate digitally through social media using #YWCAday. Check out the Storify below to get a glimpse at some of the meetings that took place throughout the day, as well as to learn more about why paid sick leave, paid family and medical leave, and job-protected safe leave for survivors are so important.