Women in the NAACP

Women in the NAACP (WIN) seeks to enhance the leadership role of women, serve as an advocacy vehicle for issues affecting women and children, and advocate for the positive development of children.

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Monthly WIN Message

May

Break Out and Break Free

We can find ourselves in prison in so many different ways and situations. Sometimes it is literal like breaking the law and having to serve time. Other times, the prison is not made of steel bars, but of circumstances, thoughts, and emotions that hold us captive.

The prison can be a relationship with little to no room to grow, where you feel stuck and unable to move forward. It can be working so hard yet facing the disappointment of not receiving what you anticipated or expected, with hurt surrounding you like bars. It can be your thoughts. You know the ones you ruminate on: the thoughts that tell you that you are no good, not deserving, not beautiful, not worthy. The thoughts that keep you captured in lies. It can be health concerns that continue to present themselves and capture your hope, faith and confidence. It can be obsessive and overthinking that leads to procrastination, defeat, and feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, and despair. It can be grief and loss that weighs so heavily on your heart that it feels hard to breathe or move. It can be fear and the need for control that seize your joy and peace, building bars that seem as though they have been there for a lifetime.

Yes, we all have experienced some type of imprisonment and may be experiencing it right now. But know this, the situation or circumstances are distractions and obstacles that try to stop you from experiencing love, from growing, from believing in yourself, from fulfilling your purpose, and from reaching higher toward all that God or the universe has in store for you.

So today, let us look within ourselves and identify those prison bars; the feelings, thoughts, situations, and even people that keep us confined. Call them out. Forgive yourself. Seek help if you need it. Share with others. And most importantly, identify your release or break out date, and let it be today.

You must know that you have the ability to walk out into newness: to walk into love, to walk into mercy and grace, to walk into your purpose, to walk into new relationships, into a new song, into a new way of being, into all that has been prepared just for you. You’ve got this. Because once you can see it, you can do something about it.

So rise up and walk into your purpose, your freedom, your joy, your love, and your peace.

It is a new day. It is a new moment. And it is waiting just for you.

Wishing you the best always,

Yvonne

Dr. Yvonne Terrell-Powell

WIN Chair

A brief history

During the year 1980, in Memphis Tennessee, Frances Louise Dancy Hooks (wife of Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks) and Earleen Bolden organized the trailblazing Women in the NAACP (WIN), an unprecedented project which aimed to enhance the leadership roles of women both within the Association and in everyday life. The WIN organization raised funds for emergency relief and made a commitment to supporting Black/African American women, and their children and communities.

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In 2004, Women in the NAACP (WIN) was approved as a standing committee at the Philadelphia National Convention in accordance with Article VIII of the NAACP Constitution and Bylaws. WIN’s national theme is “Outstretched Hands and Open Hearts to Women and Children.”

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WIN is an integral committee of the NAACP. It has historically provided emergency relief funds to families and offered a medium for women to develop leadership, outreach, and advocacy skills for civil rights. Today, the legacy of WIN continues to inspire and remind us of the vital role that women have played and continue to play in advancing social justices, equity, and equality.

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The purpose of WIN is to:

Enhance the leadership role of women
Serve as an advocacy vehicle for social, economic, political, educational, health
and welfare issues affecting women, girls, and children
Support the ongoing work of the NAACP and the Snohomish Branch
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WIN membership is open to any NAACP member. WIN meetings are held in person or
virtually and may be held at the NAACP Convention and State meetings.

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Message Archives

Our Monthly Reflections

'Tis the Season!

As we enter December, we find ourselves in a month that comes with many different holidays and traditions. The holiday season can be peaceful and beautiful, yet it can also feel overwhelming. It often comes with celebration, blessings, laughter, and joy, but also may stir up stress, financial strain, loneliness, or the pain of missing loved ones. It can be a time of connection and rest, love and faith, but also a time when family dynamics or worries show themselves once again.

Even with all of this, the meaning of this holiday season remains yours to create and define. You have the power to envision what you want this time to be. You can set clear expectations, honor your boundaries, and choose the tone and energy for your holiday experience. No matter what happens during the season, you can commit to protecting your peace, joy, and gratitude.

With the many thoughts and emotions that we carry during this season, it can be a little challenging, but you deserve to hold onto the belief that this season will work out for your good. You are capable. You are worthy. You are valued. You are blessed, highly favored, and loved. This is your life and you’re going to enjoy this time!

So “Tis the Season” to acknowledge and honor your thoughts and emotions and to provide quality and intentional care of yourself; to give in ways that feel right, to trust that you have the ability to set the tone for a holiday season filled with warmth, laughter, clarity, empowerment, joy, love, delicious food, and meaningful moments with yourself, family and friends.

Here are a few holiday wellness tips:

Every day:
Remind yourself that you’re going to have a good day. Think about it and say it out loud.
Look in the mirror and remind yourself that you love that person in the mirror. They ain’t perfect but they’re good people.
Remind yourself that you are amazing, beautiful, powerful, wonderful. . . and somebody needs you.
Do something that makes you happy and feel good about yourself.
Be mindful of your boundaries to protect your time, joy, and peace.
Pause to pray, meditate, and be thankful and grateful.
Check in on loved ones who may need some extra support or intentionally offer acts of kindness to family, friends or strangers.
Rejoice knowing that you deserve to smile, laugh and be loved.
Make room to receive your blessings and count them all joy.
Work to live your life to the fullest; it’s your life to be lived!

Well, “Tis the Season!” I’ll be checking in again in the New Year! Oh yeah, wishing you Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

With love always,
Dr. Yvonne Terrell-Powell
Women in the NAACP (WIN) Chair
NAACP Snohomish County (10AA-B)

April Showers Bring May Flowers

As a child, I was taught that April showers bring May flowers. It was a simple way to help me embrace the rain, learn the value of patience, and appreciate the gifts the rain would bring. As I’ve gotten older, I still hold on to that saying as I navigate the challenges of life which often come with rain and the joys of life that bloom after the rain has completed its assignment.

When I find myself facing difficult times, yes the constant rain, it reminds me that I may have to endure some showers if I’m planning to experience the "good times." The showers of life are necessary to bring forth growth, dreams, and victories. While those storms can challenge us, if we embrace them, they help us see things from a different perspective or a new vantage point.

Most recently, I was dealing with heavy and constant showers. They even came with lightning and thunder. Some days, it felt like the rain was never going to stop. I wondered how did these showers decide this was the right time to come; I’m just trying to live my life and “do me.” I tried all kinds of tactics to make it end, but when they didn't work, I realized I had to take a deeper look at the rain, the problem, and see what I was missing and what was there for me to learn.

As I began to shift my perspective, I reminded myself that something good was going to come out in my favor (as it always has), the rain became bearable and even refreshing at times. I gained a different outlook. That is, the rain was there for me to experience, not to fear. And I’m telling you, once I looked directly at that rain, the trouble began to subside. The worrying, dreading, and fear decreased, shifting into optimism and strength. No, the rain didn’t all go away instantly, but eventually it did because I had discovered a way to weather it.

And what was that way? I began praying, meditating, and believing something good was going to happen. I started looking for the positive and receiving my blessings. I challenged myself to come out of my “pity party” and join the “grateful party.” I began trusting myself more, loving myself, and sharing my story with people I trust. I began reminding myself that happiness and joy were just a moment away. As I said, this didn’t happen overnight, but when the change came, the sunshine appeared and the rain didn’t seem so bad after all. So yes, April showers bring May flowers!

Best always,

Yvonne

Dr. Yvonne Terrell-Powell
WIN Chair
NAACP Snohomish County (10AA-B)

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Our Branch

The NAACP Portland Branch 1120 is one of the longest running civil rights organizations in this region ensuring the political.