Remarkable Women finalist: Michelle Ellis Young working for peace and equity in Hampton Roads

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Whether she is addressing a church congregation, a room full of reporters or counseling a victim of rape or abuse, YWCA of Hampton Roads CEO Michelle Ellis Young lives her mission.

“On any given day, I am really looking at and leaning into our community of 757 Hampton Roads and really looking at what does it look like to create an equitable and just community for women and girls,” Ellis Young said.

She never knows from day to day how she will be called to serve. On a recent morning when we sat down to interview with her she told us, “right now, this morning, I am working with a community partner who texted me at 7 this morning about an 80-year-old woman who is being sexually assaulted and living at a bus station.”

A former co-worker, Kia Moten, who nominated Ellis Young as a Remarkable Woman, said clients and co-workers alike feel safe opening up to her.

“She is just a remarkable woman all the way around,” Moten said. “And she pushes civility into the community, which is a huge thing as well, because we often forget about civility, too, you know, just being kind to people.”

Under her leadership, the YWCA launched ‘Amend Together,’ a program teaching boys how to be better men.

Another program, ‘Get your finances right‘, addresses money issues that can impact a persons health and personal relationships.

Ellis Young also started R.E.S.T., the annual Racial Equity and Social Transformation Conference, which focuses on all forms of oppression including access to health care and housing.

She is also a founding board member of the Public Health Foundation.

“The work that we do and when we talk about public health and when we talk about racial justice, they are synonymous,” Ellis Young said.

Her work is emotionally draining yet charges her spirit.

“As hard as it is to have these conversations — ‘yeah, I don’t want to deal with it every day, but I have to, right? — … if not us, then who? Who will champion the cause that shows civility and community,” Ellis Young said, “that allows all people to come together in a uniquely woven way?”