Doing the Work: Women’s History Month Organization Spotlight
For Women's History Month 2025, we continued our tradition of celebrating organizations that provide vital services to protect, empower, and care for women and girls across Washington in our second annual “Doing the Work’ series.
This year, we spotlighted three incredible organizations: Mother Nation, Mujeres in Action, and New Connections —each of which works tirelessly to uplift women through a holistic, and trauma-informed lens.
With 3.8 million women in the state, their collective effort, alongside the dozens of other organizations dedicated to women & girls, are invaluable.
Mother Nation: Indigenous Resilience and Holistic Healing
Indigenous communities have long endured the profound impacts of colonization, displacement, and systemic oppression, resulting in intergenerational trauma. Mother Nation, a Native-led nonprofit based in Washington, "walks alongside" Native women and families as they provide holistic services and culturally rooted support to restore balance and empower Indigenous voices.
Through partnerships with organizations such as the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center, tribal nations, and legal aid entities, Mother Nation provides healing and advocacy rooted in Indigenous traditions. They host weekly healing circles, lead workshops and tribal training, offer mobile advocacy for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and provide education on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Crisis (MMIWP). Their homelessness prevention services, including housing assistance, ensure that Native families receive the support they need to rebuild stability and security.
Whether by lived experiences with the challenges they aim to address, or as survivors, advocates, and cultural keepers, many members of Mother Nation’s team have a deep commitment to reclaiming Indigenous ways of knowing and healing.
They share:
"Through every story of survival, every moment of reconnection, and every step toward justice, we witness the strength of our people."
Information, photos provided by Yvette Perrantes, Communications & Grant Manager, Mother Nation.
Learn more about Mother Nation.
Mujeres in Action: Bridging Gaps and Reshaping Systems for Spanish-Speaking Survivors
In 2018, Mujeres in Action (MiA) was founded in response to the clear gap in victim services for the growing Spanish-speaking and immigrant population in Spokane. Now, MiA bridges language and cultural barriers to assist survivors of domestic and sexual violence navigate the complexities and red tape of accessing resources vital to their safety, health, and well-being.
MiA has four main programs, each of which are survivor led and carried out by trauma-informed advocates – many of whom have lived experience as immigrants and survivors. Mente y Corazón and Puerto Seguro provide immediate support, helping survivors navigate healthcare, education, and legal systems while securing housing and employment for long-term stability. Jóvenes en Acción focuses on prevention, teaching youth about healthy relationships. Comunidad y Acción works to reduce systemic barriers, advocating for language access. Thanks to this program’s coordination with local officials and community advocates, protection orders in Spokane are now available in the most commonly spoken languages in the area.
As MiA expands, so does its impact. By simultaneously delivering essential services and transforming the systems that create barriers, MiA is working toward a future where every survivor—regardless of language or background—can access the safety and support they need to thrive.
Information, photos provided by Ana Trusty, Director of Communications, Mujeres in Action (MiA).
Learn more about Mujeres in Action (MiA).
New Connections: Addressing Barriers to Break the Reentry Cycle
For over 20 years, New Connections has provided holistic support and comprehensive resources that address the immediate needs of women reintegrating into the community and account for the complex barriers that contribute to the cycle of reentry, while working to create a society where incarceration is rare, brief, and non-recurring.
Based in Tacoma, their work recognizes how systemic issues like poverty, homelessness, and marginalization contribute to incarceration and compound the challenges of reentry, including housing instability, economic hardship, trauma, and isolation.
They address these obstacles with programs that have been built out by women who hold a deep, and often personal, understanding of the lasting impacts of incarceration and homelessness. Their flagship transitional housing programs—Irma’s Place and Annie’s Cottage—offer more than shelter; they provide a foundation for healing and community. By covering essential expenses, New Connections allows residents to focus on reentry barriers like obtaining a driver’s license, accessing healthcare, and saving for permanent housing. They also provide resource navigation, case management, and peer support.
“At New Connections, we are more than an organization; we are a community dedicated to empowering justice-impacted women.”
Information, photos provided by Jessica Means, Executive Director, New Connections Tacoma.
Learn more about New Connections.
ABOUT THE WASHINGTON STATE WOMEN’S COMMISSION
The Washington State Women’s Commission (WSWC) is an executive branch cabinet agency in the Office of Governor Bob Ferguson serving as the primary voice in government for Washington women and girls. Signed into law in 2018, WSWC aims to improve the well-being of women by identifying and developing policies to remove systemic barriers and address critical issues that disproportionately impact women, including childcare access and affordability, domestic and gender-based violence, equal pay, and intersectional inequities.
