Remarkable Women: LaVanda Brown drives YWCA Greater Charleston’s mission to empower women

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – A passionate advocate, LaVanda Brown’s commitment to empowering women and eliminating racism is unwavering. Brown is the Chief Executive Officer of YWCA Greater Charleston, a mission the Savannah, Georgia native began nine years ago.

YWCA Greater Charleston has been around for 117 years, providing services in the Charleston community to strengthen families, eliminate racism, and empower women. 

“We’re very intentional about our mission. I love the fact that our mission is explicit. We are here to eliminate racism and empower women, and we don’t have to apologize for that. So, we really get to make a real difference, and all of our programs are very mission-focused,” Brown explained.

The YWCA Greater Charleston’s annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration is one of the first MLK tributes in the nation and one of the longest-running and largest observances of Dr. King’s holiday in South Carolina, 53 years and counting.

“It’s six days now. We do all sorts of things from the breakfast to the parade and youth events,” she said. But Brown says the work continues. “This year, our theme for the year — and we started it with our MLK — is ‘Until Justice, just is,’ and that means until justice is the norm, we have to keep fighting, and it’s not necessarily a physical fight as it has sometimes been in the past, but it is definitely a political, a financial, and it is a justice fight. I want our young people to know we have come a long way, but we have a lot of work still to be done. We need young, strong, vibrant people to take the helm. We have to pass it on,” said Brown.

Brown has transformed YWCA Greater Charleston with a series of highly effective programs centered on empowering young girls and women. 

“We also do youth programs like our ‘Y Girls Code.’  We are teaching girls from third grade to high school how to do coding. That’s a job where you can definitely earn a livable wage,” she said. “We have our ‘She-Strong’ program, a leadership program for girls and allies. Right now, we’re in a civic engagement chapter. Every year, we change it up. We let the kids decide what they want to focus on.  This year, they decided they wanted to focus on civic engagement. We have our “We 360,” which is our entrepreneurship program for women of color, helping women turn their businesses into generational wealth for their families. We have our “What Women Bring,” which is our annual luncheon where we celebrate and honor women who are not only making great strides in their career, but they are also living our mission of eliminating racism and empowering women.”

YWCA Greater Charleston has a reach that spans the state. “We not only serve the tri-county, but we’re also one of only two YWCA in the state. We have done trainings and programs in Greenville, Columbia, Spartanburg, and Sumter. We’re all over. Our reach is pretty expansive.”

The organization is funded through foundations, donations, and fundraisers. Brown credits her team and board for a clear vision to be the community’s leading nonprofit agency for empowering women, strengthening youth and families, and working toward justice.

“I have a fantastic board. I’ll start at the top. I have a fantastic board. They show up, they are supportive, they help open doors, and they let me know when they are funding opportunities that are mission-aligned for us. I have a great staff. We’re small but mighty. We have wonderful volunteers.  We could not do the parade, breakfast, any of the things, the youth programs, the after-school programs without the volunteers.”

Brown’s experience, leadership, and passion for serving others spans more than 35 years. 

“My mother taught me something: you should leave a place as good as, or better, than you found it.  Now, in our case, she was talking about the park where we were playing, and she wanted me to pick up a piece of trash, and I said that’s not ours. She said it doesn’t matter, you leave a place as good as, or better than you found it.  I translate that to even this world. So, I’m here and living here and breathing this God-given air, I should leave this place as good as or better than I found it. I believe this world needs to be better. I think this country can be better, and if I can be a part of that, I have to keep doing it,” said Brown.

When asked if she had one word to describe her work and mission, Brown responded that it would be “impactful,” adding “that’s my hope, that I personally and YWCA is being impactful.”