UWOC Turns 8: A Look Back and What’s Ahead

Eight years ago, six other women and I started United Women of Color with a belief that everyday people could make a difference in their communities.

I did not know then exactly what UWOC would become. I just knew there were people in our community who had something to contribute, voices that needed to be heard, and barriers that needed to be addressed.

Since 2018, we have grown, learned, stretched, made mistakes, adjusted, and kept going.

Over the years, UWOC has helped people become more engaged in their communities and more confident in their ability to lead. We have registered voters, created election guides, helped people better understand their government, developed leaders through the LIGHT Institute, provided digital skills training, advocated alongside families impacted by the criminal justice system, and created opportunities for people to learn, serve, organize, and speak up.

Some of the things I am most proud of cannot be measured by attendance numbers or program reports.

I have watched volunteers become leaders. Participants have returned as facilitators, organizers, board members, and community advocates. People who first came to UWOC looking for information or an opportunity to get involved have gone on to help someone else find their own place to lead.

That matters to me.

UWOC was never supposed to be about one person doing all the work. My hope has always been that people would recognize that they have something to offer and that they can make a difference right where they are.

Eight years later, that is still at the heart of our work.

I am incredibly grateful for the staff members, board members, volunteers, donors, partners, participants, and community members who have helped build UWOC and brought us to this eight year milestone.

As I look ahead, I see UWOC continuing to grow as a regional model for North Alabama and as an organization that serves as a hub and resource connector for leaders and organizations across the region. I want UWOC to be a place where people can find information, support, partnerships, and opportunities to strengthen the work they are already doing in their communities.

There is still much more work to do, and I am excited about what comes next.

Eight years. Countless lives impacted. And we are still building.