Abstract

       The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) has its roots in Anglo-American evangelicalism and in the growth of the middle class in the nineteenth century. Portland, Oregon's YWCA was founded in 1901, and its founding Board was made up of women from some of the most economically and politically prominent white families in the city. This virtual exhibit is organized around important themes and historical epochs of the work of the YWCA in Portland, including the programs of the organization (camping, sports, clubs, music, health, and employment), the contributions and challenges of African-American and Asian-American women, community building across racial and religious differences, the changes wrought by World War II, and the physical buildings of the YWCA in Portland.