Equality, Access and Justice for All

Dear Editor:

With all the unrest in our nation, the STEPS Board of Directors felt led to issue a statement reflecting our agency’s position and commitment to action.  The statement reads:

“STEPS is proud to serve as the Community Action agency for our region.  Our nation is grieving, and we are grieving with it.  We are committed to cultivating and creating an environment focused on humanity and people centered solutions.  We denounce racism and discrimination of any kind and we stand in solidarity with all people facing oppression based on ethnicity, race, religion, or sexual identity.

We make the following promises to the community, clients, customers, partners and our staff: 

We will continue to listen and learn, but not be silent.  

We will strive to foster an organization that is diverse and inclusive offering everyone equal opportunities for growth and development to support them in moving their lives forward.  

We will maintain an open dialogue and be active in the process of addressing racial injustice and help our community move toward healing. 

We will take action.

Community Action was a direct response to the war against poverty and racism in America.  We believe that everyone should be treated with respect and dignity and we are committed to working towards equality, access, and justice for all.”

We hope your readers will join us in this Statement of Solidarity,

Sharon L. Harrup, STEPS President & CEO