Angie's Role: As the president of SURE I am responsible for planning and running our monthly meetings and am  typically the point of contact for communications from outside organizations or individuals interested in the group. I also oversee and participate in the work of our committees.

Angie's Why: After the murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd I found myself asking the question, “When I look back on my life 20 years from now, will I be able to say that I was a part of the solution or did I continue to perpetuate racism in my community?” I was convinced that I could no longer stay silent about the injustices that were occurring in the Black community. From that moment on, I have worked each day to increase my understanding and awareness of racism, structural racism, and white supremacy and I strive to be anti racist.

Maria's Role: I help organize community events and initiatives that help educate the citizens of Madison County about systems of racial inequity present in our community and inspire them to take action to change those systems to create a more just and equitable county. When the president is unable to lead meetings, I can fill in, as well as try to support the other committees the best I can.

Maria's Why: "None of us can be free until all of us are free." Racist systems are meant to divide, create fear and stagnate all of us. I used to believe that just not saying racist things was enough. Two things changed me. The first was seeing someone tell my sister (who is from Guatemala) to go back to where she came from. I remember being shocked that someone could talk like that and then also felt like I was completely unprepared with how to respond. Then later in 2016, I was listening to a podcast about reading more diversely. That year, I read almost exclusively books written by voices that were very different from my own. Between those two experiences, I saw so many things that needed to change in my own personal thinking and wanted to help on a deeper level with other people discovering their own anti-racist journeys. There is a lot of work to do, but the people I have met in this space are some of the best people I have met!

Candy's Role: Founder; Co-Secretary; Community Conversations Chair; Grant writer. Recording attendance and minutes for the monthly meetings, as well as any executive team meetings. Organizing conversations with various groups in Madison County for the purpose of listening to their wishes for our community.  Securing facilitators, designing the format for these conversations, and sharing the concerns mentioned with other citizens and area decision-makers.

Candy's Why: I grew up in Anderson, attended, taught, and sent my children to Anderson public schools.  After they graduated from high school, I moved to another IN school system and town in a county encircling Indianapolis.  When I left Anderson, it had a reputation of inadequate schools and inefficient town management.  One reason I left was to experience another school system and town administration. After retiring, I wanted to move back to Anderson to support its health.  I wanted to listen to the needs others see and find ways to address, or help them address, these needs.  I was intrigued when reading about Angie Strickler’s desire to form a group to learn about inequities in our county. I contacted her immediately to get involved.  It has been a life-changing event for me ever since.

Annie's Role: I collaborate with the other co-secretary to take notes at every leadership/board meeting and all of the open SURE meetings. We take notes and then submit those notes for review and then approval at the following meeting. We also help to organize documents, work flow, the google drive systems, and create content for emails and social media posts. We work with the other leadership positions on moving our racial equity work forward by holding each other accountable for our action steps and commitments we’ve made.

Annie's Why: I am a part of SURE and on the leadership team because I want to have an active role and supporting role in the racial equity work in Madison County. I want to be a part of the fight against white supremacy and to promote racial justice. I have found that some main avenues that help me do these things are being a part of groups like SURE which is involved in the community, intentionally racially diverse, willing to talk about race and racial equity openly and honestly, seeking out the voices of People of Color in the community, and willing to take steps towards racial justice and equity even if it is risky, difficult, and uncomfortable. I know that we all become more courageous and stronger when we do this work together.

Coming Soon!