The mural at the YWCA San Gabriel Valley is located in the heart of the Program Center. Measuring 10’ by 20’, it dominates the room not only with its size, but with color and meaning.
The mural was a donation from the California State University, Long Beach Women’s Center. When the Women’s Center changed locations, the mural’s size proved to be problematic. A suitable home needed to be found in a short period of time. A volunteer suggested donating the mural to one of the local YWCA chapters. San Gabriel Valley was tapped as the recipient because the Program Center’s main activity room had a high ceiling and wide wall that could easily accommodate its large dimensions.
Depicting the wide range of roles women play in a broad cultural diasporas, the mural attracts viewers, young and old, who are drawn to its dynamic colors, expressions, and faces. From the moment it arrived, it received a wide range of comments, both positive and negative.


Ann Dougherty, former Chief Executive Officer of the YWCA San Gabriel Valley, said the arrival of the mural made people rethink their own definitions of what it meant to be a woman.


“There were a few people who said that the women in the mural looked too masculine, too harsh, or too angular,” she said. “But I loved it. It showed how women emerge into life in different ways. It covered everything.”


As time passed, the mural became a powerful symbol of the YWCA’s mission statement: to empower women and girls and to work toward eliminating racism, sexism, poverty, and violence.


“It depicts a wide range of vocations, activities, and ethnicities and it’s full of movement. It’s a unique expression of women in active roles. And that’s what we represent,” said Evelyn Brown, the YWCA San Gabriel Valley’s CEO.


It was this unique representation that prompted the YWCA to use the mural as a focal point for the new website, newsletter, and annual report designs.