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promoted?  2) What were the national issues that were important to the population of
                      Southern Maryland?  The committee spent a great deal of time studying various issues.

                      The first Big Conversation was on Immigration – the Maryland Dream Act in 2011.  This
                      was followed in order by the Big Conversation on Health Care in Southern Maryland in
                      2012; Veterans and their Families – Welcomed or Shunned? in 2013; Inequality and
                      Equality in 2014; and Gun Violence in 2015.  The group was anxious to tackle a Big
                      Conversation on racial issues in Southern Maryland but they were reluctant to jump into the
                      potentially explosive subject without careful consideration and study.  They decided to take
                      two years to do their homework and build an extended and more racially diverse planning
                      committee.




                                 The Evolution of Building Organizational Relationships

                      The events listed above throughout Calvert and into St. Mary’s County did not exist in
                      perfectly separate silos.  As participants shared their experiences and organizers established
                      relationships with other community activists, significant cross pollination of these separate
                      efforts occurred.

                      Figure I on the following page shows the work that has been done throughout the county
                      from 2005 to 2019.  It is a graphic illustration of the amount of time and dedication that
                      went into establishing trust among community members in order to have authentic and
                      productive conversations.  Lines indicating support of different organizations on the timeline
                      are only examples. There are many more organizations and programs that could be included.

































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