April 25, 2010. Herald-Tribune.
Acronyms, like community organizations, are abundant. Some are humorous and playful; APS stands for the Apostrophe Protection Society, an organization devoted to the protection of abused punctuation.
Other outreach programs are dedicated to making a significant impact on society; MADD advocates, legislates and educates the community regarding the harmful effects of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
One of the most recent additions to the world of acronyms is SURE; Sarasota United for Responsibility and Equity.
“SURE is under the umbrella of DART,” said Erika Kuester, smiling.
Kuester is the contact for the organization. “My job is to provide structure and training for the leaders in the community,” she added. “I exist to listen and help make happen what they want to happen.”
The stated mission of SURE is “to unite people of faith in Sarasota County so that they can powerfully hold systems accountable in the community to a Godly standard of justice.”
DART is the Direct Action and Research Training Center.
The stated purpose of the organization is bringing religious congregations together to challenge economic, political and social systems to achieve justice.
Dr. John E. Syster is the senior pastor of First Congregational United Church of Christ; he is a adviser and participant in SURE and has witnessed the impact that the organization has had on Sarasota.
“Things were very different in Sarasota just a few years ago,” Syster said. “A few years ago, there were only three African-American and one Hispanic deputies in our community.
“Four — out of 300. At that time, the African-American population was around 17 percent. We advocated for change; we said, you can’t do this.”
SURE generally addresses two issues per year and organizes one massive action rally.
The main focus of the 2009 SURE rally is to advocate for assistance for homeless children and to encourage the implementation of drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs in the county jail.
According to Kuester, “We are trying to get a place for homeless children, 3 and under, to go so that their parents can work.”
Syster added, “I know people that have done stupid things and been sentenced by judges to rehab programs, but then they are put in jail and they receive no help. The recidivism rate is very high, 70 to 80 percent.”
Syster commented that “the number of people incarcerated in this country is higher than anywhere else in the world.”
Kuester and Syster are leading a team of 17 local churches and their parishioners.
They include the flock of each of the churches in their roster of members and say that they hope to have from 1,200 to 1,500 people at the upcoming SURE Nehemiah Action on Monday.
“Twenty years ago, racial discrimination was a lot worse,” Syster said, “people just accepted it.” Syster paused, acknowledging the election of our first African-American president, Barack Obama.
“There are still changes we have to make and SURE sets up the system to address injustice.”
