If the time is not ripe, then it is your job to ripen the time!' The transformation of the YWCA in the USA from segregated association to interracial organization, 1930-1965

The processes behind the transformation of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) in the USA from a segregated organization in 1920 to an organization promoting racial equality, both within its ranks and in the wider community by 1965 are explored. The interracial friendships and relationships formed by women within the YWCA were crucial in breaking down the national organization's acceptance of segregation and creating the will to overcome regional inertia, conservatism and hostility.