A YEAR (AND A BIT) IN REVIEW:

OUR FIRST 16 MONTHS

When STRIDE held its inaugural meeting in December 2019, we had no idea what lay ahead of us in 2020.

Attendees at our first three monthly meetings workshopped a mission statement and brainstormed ideas about which initiatives should take priority.  Race was at the forefront of everyone’s mind because of incidents at Scituate High School, but STRIDE decided from the beginning to support equity and inclusion in a broad range of areas including race, LGBTQIA+, religion, socioeconomic class, and physical/cognitive/emotional ability.

With the outbreak of COVID-19, March and April members’ meetings were cancelled.  STRIDE co-leaders spent this time working on organizational development, with the end goal of creating an organization with longevity, stability, and sustainability.

Following the murder of George Floyd and the worldwide outpouring of grief and anger at police brutality against Black people, new membership grew rapidly.  Monthly meetings resumed, now by Zoom because of the pandemic.  Many other groups working on DEI issues also formed in Scituate at this time.  STRIDE members’ meetings in May, June, and July provided opportunities for sharing information and building community, and we were still trying to find our way as a young organization.  In this period, STRIDE’s Steering Committee was formed; its Vision, Mission, and Strategy Statements were adopted; its website was built; and its Facebook page launched.

Beginning in October, each monthly meeting has had a theme, with optional pre-meeting readings, a presentation by an individual or panel, and activities and conversations in small breakout groups.  This format has allowed people to share their stories and for our members to learn and grow through listening, conversation, and action planning.