In early 2021, the planning committee for the Robert E. Strippel Memorial Fund for Continuing Dialogue on Justice and Human Rights Annual Program selected an especially challenging and timely theme: The Responsibility to Act: Health Equity and Social Justice Leadership. In April, they offered a series of webinars that examined how the COVID pandemic affected health equity, specifically the disproportionate negative impact on those who were poor, elderly, disabled, or part of communities of color.

Six months later—and with the coronavirus still in the headlines—the committee continues its efforts with two additional virtual events that examine the pandemic’s effect on public well-being.

Honoring Everyday Heroes in our Schools

According to planning committee chair Dr. Jacqueline Daugherty, the first event in the fall series, Everyday Heroes: COVID-19 Impact in Ohio’s Education Landscape, provides a platform for local educators and students to discuss their experiences during COVID. “Schools around the world have demonstrated incredible leadership during this pandemic,” she said. “Educators and students have largely borne the brunt of making it work…from the transition to new online modes of learning to the additional emotional work of supporting students through very difficult times, to advocating for science-based safety measures.”

Panelists for this event include a local teacher, a Fairfield City Schools student, and a recent Miami graduate, ready to bring their perspectives to the daily struggles that educators, students, and administrators have faced.

Examining Pillars of Insecurity in our Community

The second event this fall promises to shed light on the increasingly desperate situation faced by underserved populations in many communities. In Unemployment, Hunger, and Housing Crisis: COVID-19 and the Pillars of Insecurity, representatives from local agencies will address how the pandemic has expanded the disparities and their impact in Southwest Ohio.

All Strippel events are free, open to the public, and are currently virtual. Anyone who wants to learn about how to effectively address the challenges that minoritized communities face with COVID-19 is invited to attend.

For more information about the Robert E. Strippel Memorial Fund and future programming, visit MiamiOH.edu/Strippel.

About the Strippel Program

Robert Strippel, for whom the fund is named, served the Miami University community for over fifteen years (1958-1974), and he was Miami’s Coordinator of Volunteer and Religious Programs at the end of his career. He had a life-long commitment to human rights and social justice, and was active in helping to organize the Freedom Summer ‘64 Training at the Western College for Women. His wife, Jane Strippel, organized fundraising in his memory and still consults with the Strippel Fund Committee.

The Fund’s programming is organized by the Strippel Fund committee, composed of students, faculty and staff, community members/activists, and alumni. The committee organizes programming on social, economic, and environmental issues that are timely and perhaps not being covered as visibly on and off campus. Staff from Global Initiatives and the Center for American and World Cultures are proud to provide an administrative and digital home for this vital programming.