Lifting Every Voice: Democratic Engagement Dialogue Series Session with Starletta Washington, CEO of the YWCA of the GPR

Excelsior’s Center for Social Justice and the Democratic Engagement and the Race & Ethnicity Rope Teams, Fielding Graduate University, the Underground Railroad Education Center, the YWCA of the Greater Capital Region, the St. Petersburg Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Center, and the NYS No Hate Capital Region Council are thrilled to invite you to participate in our 2026 democratic engagement dialogue sessions.

How do we lift every voice? Let’s explore together the meaning of democracy and ways to engage with others when we all have different perspectives, experiences, and ways of thinking. Join us for a series of conversations hosted by Excelsior’s Center for Social Justice, the Fielding Graduate University, and the Democratic Engagement Rope Team.

 “Unfinished Freedom: Truth, Healing, and the Future We’re Building,” an interactive session on the recorded conversation with Starletta Renée Washington, Chief Executive Office of the YWCA of the Greater Capital Region.  

This conversation will focus on “Unfinished Freedom: Truth, Healing, and the Future We’re Building” and it will explore the idea that freedom is not a completed moment, but an ongoing responsibility. Through reflections on history, present-day realities, and the work of building more equitable systems, the discussion will center on truth-telling, trauma-informed approaches, and the role we all play in shaping a future rooted in dignity, access, and collective well-being. Drawing from both personal experience and leadership in community-based work, our guest, Starletta Renée Washington will help us discuss what it means to move from awareness to action. 

As CEO of the YWCA of the Greater Capital Region, Starletta Renée Washington leads an organization delivering housing and integrated services to over 150 individuals daily. Washington’s leadership is defined by results- expanding housing access, strengthening systems, and delivering measurable improvements in stability, economic mobility, and dignity for the communities she serves. 

In general, during our Democratic Engagement Dialogues Series sessions, our conversation focuses on:

• Our collective exploration of the meaning and power of democracy as a choice, way of thinking, and a lifestyle.
• Strategies to create and engage in dialogue and engagement that transcends disagreement, promotes inclusion, leverages our diversity, and strengthens democracy.
• Concrete actions we could pursue to participate and promote democracy in our daily interactions and environments.

This session will be held in Zoom via the link that will be provided to you as part of your registration to the session. Register here.

We are looking forward to having you with us!