The member diversity in the WNBA makes the organizing principle “Books Have Power” a success. The Bookwoman welcomes Rachelle Yousuf (Los Angeles), the WNBA’s national president, to the “Power behind the WNBA” interview series!
Tell us about yourself.
I am Rachelle Yousuf, the current National President of the Women’s National Book Association (WNBA) and the Immediate Past-President of the WNBA’s Los Angeles chapter. I am also the program manager for the Entrepreneur Center, a nonprofit coworking space serving women and minority entrepreneurs. Previously, I worked as the head of membership at PEN Center USA, a literary arts and human rights nonprofit. Additionally, I am an editor and literary event producer, working with clients including The Freya Project and YALLWEST. I hold a master’s in English Literature from California State University, Northridge.
Why did you join the WNBA?
I joined the WNBA after searching for literary resources in Los Angeles. As a soon-to-be college graduate, I wanted a way to connect with my local literary community. I went to an event and one of the board members turned to me and starting talking to me. Not long after, I was asked to join the board and eventually became the chapter president. I cannot express how much the WNBA has done for me personally and professionally. I can directly attribute my current and most recent jobs to people I have met and worked with through the WNBA. Working with the WNBA also gave me experience planning events and managing programs, in addition to invaluable leadership experience. I put a lot into my work with the organization, and I definitely got (and continue to get) a lot out of it.
What value does the promotion of books bring to your community?
As the daughter of immigrant parents, I am intimately aware of the importance of books and literacy in my own life. And in my community, where many others are also non-native speakers themselves or similarly come from parents who are non-native speakers, it’s hard to overlook the role access to literacy, literature, and books play in our lives. But even more so, I believe in promoting books that represent and reflect the various communities in Los Angeles and in the United States. Now, more than ever, it’s important that we reinforce the values that founded the WNBA—inclusion, community, and actively advocating for those left out of the literary mainstream.
Share a book that has had a lasting impression on you and why?
Anytime I’m asked this question, I immediately think of Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things. I remember reading that book and being mesmerized by her writing, by her intellect, and by the haunting story. Years later, I heard her speak at a library event in Los Angeles and was, again, blown away by her way of speaking and her commitment to speaking the truth, even in the face of pressure from people in power. She is an absolute goddess.
Interview compiled by assistant editor Pam Ebel (New Orleans). Pam received her B.A. in Speech, with a minor in theatre, from Chico State University, CA, in 1968, an M.A. in Rhetoric and Public Address from LSUBR in 1971, and her Juris Doctor degree from the Loyola, New Orleans, School of Law in 1977. She has been on the Tulane faculty for forty-eight years. She provides a variety of continuing education programs for professionals in social work, health care, law, private investigations, and longshore and insurance practice. She writes mystery and crime fiction and loves the printed word and the books that contain it.
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