RACINE — A new non-profit, Racine Women for Racial Justice (RWRJ), was created to “identify, disrupt and dismantle racism” in Racine County.
The founders, Mary Pucci and Kelly Scroggins-Powell, created the all women's organization began in response to police shooting and killing 18-year-old Ty’Rese West in June of 2019.
“When it was announced that no charges would be filed against the officer who shot Ty’Rese West, I knew I wanted to take some sort of action against racism in our community,” said Pucci. “I wasn’t sure what that would look like, but a message I posted on Facebook received hundreds of replies, and I realized there are a lot of women in Racine who care deeply about this issue.”
Since its creation, RWRJ has organized numerous events to bring light to white privilege and struggles of BIPOC persons (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), included marches in support of George Floyd and racial justice.
“Racine Women for Racial Justice is unique,” according to Scroggins-Powell, “in that its fourteen-member Board of Directors consists of both women of color and white women who have backgrounds in community service and are dedicated to working together to interrupt racism and advance social justice in the Racine community. We could not be more excited about the level of leadership we have as we launch this organization.”
This upcoming year, RWRJ plans to host meetings and events, projects to target and interrupt racial injustice.
For more information about RWRJ, you can visit their website here.
