YWCA of the Quad Cities Honors 5 Ambassadors of Change

YWCA of the Quad Cities honored 5 individuals as Ambassadors of Change at the annual YWCA Race Against Racism on Saturday, Oct. 21. The event was held at the Lindsay Park Yacht Club before the kick off to the Race Against Racism 5K. The race, presented by IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union, included a 5K run/walk and a 1 Mile Fun Run. 

This is the 5th year for the event, which was rescheduled to October due to the flood earlier in May. The event was also the highlight of the national YWCA’s Week Without Violence, held each year during the third week of October. “Our staff at the YWCA QC work every day to curb the effect of violence - at our Empowerment Center with support services, at our Child Care to support families, at ThePlace2B to work with youth,” said Deanna Woodall, Vice President of Development, Growth and Empowerment Services. 

The 2023 YWCA Ambassador of Change honorees: 

• Paul Forbes, Bias Awareness & Equity Consultant, Leading with Hearts & Minds 

  • Paul Forbes is an anti-bias and educational equity consultant. He is the Founder of Leading with Hearts and Minds and serves as the Chief of the Defining US Network, which recently released the documentary film “Defining Us: Children at the Crossroads of Change.” He has dedicated his professional life to working with students and families from historically underrepresented neighborhoods and communities and hails from Brooklyn (New York). Locally, Paul has helped develop a strategic vision to guide the implementation of professional development to the Rock Island Milan School District on equity topics that include implicit bias, culturally responsive education, and discussions around systemic and structural racism. He believes that in order to embark on an equity journey, it’s critical that we do reflective and introspective work. He believes we need to examine and address the implicit biases that we bring to the table every single day. This is what he calls “the work behind the work.”

• Dr. Yolanda Grandberry Pugh, Teacher, Rock Island High School

  • Dr. Grandberry-Pugh is an educator with 21 years of experience. Her doctoral dissertation focused on "Out of School Factors that Impact the Academic Performance of African American Students. In 2022, Dr. Grandberry-Pugh was awarded the Excellence in Education Award, Rock Island County Regional Office of Education and Educator of the Year, Rock Island School District #41. Yolanda also serves on the United Way African American Leadership Society (AALS) whose focus is to close the expanding racial opportunity gap. As the 2nd Vice President & Community Coordination Committee Chair, Yolanda has been diligently working to organize community organizations and churches to discuss ways to help disadvantaged young people thrive in school and life. Dr. Grandberry-Pugh is committed to using her voice and actions to make a significant impact against racial barriers.

• Marcus Herbert, Deputy Sheriff, Rock Island County

  • Marcus Herbert ran for Sheriff in Rock Island County in 2022 and was the ONLY candidate who spoke about reducing recidivism and ending racism. His platform was to take a different approach to recidivism with education, by re-establishing the GED program and offering job assistance to those who were formerly incarcerated. Deputy Herbert continually advocates for investment in neighborhood communities that are often systematically marginalized. "We have a County Jail full of people that just want second chances, like a good paying job and a place to live.” Herbert is committed to helping those get a second chance at life.

• Corynn Holmes, 2023 Moline High School graduate and college student

  • Corynn Holmes, a 2023 Moline High School graduate, served as the president of the minority club at Moline High School where she was an advocate for creating a safe space for black and brown students to express themselves, to share their struggles, and to support one another as students work through dealing with the undertones of racism that students of color experience in the school setting. In addition, Corynn was the liaison between students, staff, and the administration at Moline High for race and racism issues. She also served as a student school board member, an honor student and played on the basketball team and ran track. In addition, she still found time to volunteer in many different capacities. “Corynn has a genuine desire to make the world a better place, especially for those that are historically underrepresented.”

• Anika Martin, Community Relations Director, Two Rivers YMCA

  • Anika Martin is a lifelong volunteer! She has given back to her community the entirety of her life- starting at a young age volunteering at the John Deere Classic. As Vice President of Lead(h)er, a local nonprofit that provides mentorship programs, she used her leadership skills to bolster connections to donors, overseeing all of our processes and procedures. Her impact in this role has allowed the organization to make more intentional choices in service delivery, ensuring that all women's experiences are inclusive. In her professional role as Community Relations Director for the Two Rivers YMCA, Anika helped raise several million in the capital campaign to build the Rock Island YMCA and Watts-Midtown Rock Island Library. Her dedication and work ethic were invaluable to the campaign and the overall success of the project.

The date for the 6th Annual Race Against Racism and Ambassador of Change Awards will be announced in early 2024.