M.O.R.E’s Mission Statement
We are proud to unveil M.O.R.E’s mission statement. The mission statement project was commissioned in late June where Black and white members volunteered to create drafts of the mission statement. After close to two weeks of work, this group produced an eloquent and forthright statement of our goals. It is as follows:
Pursuing racial equality in Mt. Lebanon through anti-racism education and justice reform.
Our mission statement resonates with the stirring words abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison used to launch his antislavery newspaper, The Liberator: “I am in earnest, and I will be heard.” The statement also resonates with the advice the greatest abolitionist in American history, Frederick Douglass, gave to the antiracists of the nineteenth century: “Agitate, agitate, agitate.” We wish to engage with our community, our elected officials, and other constituencies in a constructive and collaborative fashion to help Mt Lebanon become the “beloved community” of justice, love, and reconciliation envisioned by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But remember that there was nothing passive about Dr. King’s efforts, and he took Douglass’ advice about agitation to heart. We will do the same.
Provisional Steering Committee
Finally, there has been great and warranted concern about our group’s organizational structure and decision-making process. A call for an executive or steering committee went out weeks ago to begin tackling these problems. We now have such a committee, made up of diverse members of our group. The members of the provisional steering committee are:
Olivia Benson
Donna DiNardo
Stephanie Edmond-Myers
Tessa Watkins
This iteration of the steering committee is provisional because it is un-elected. Six months from now we will hold an election within the membership to form a new committee. Unless there are objections, and if there are, please voice them in our Facebook group, the members of the provisional committee may run for re-election.
If you have any comments, questions , or concerns directly for the Steering Committee, please email us at SteeringCommittee@LeboFightsRacism.com.
August 3, 2020, Update: The original announcement listed William Bates as a member of the Steering Committee. William has since chosen to work as part of our Justice Reform Committee. The spot was quickly filled by Olivia Benson.
