In 2019, our six Founders came together to create an organization to promote racial justice and to help eradicate racism on our beloved Island. They also embraced a vision that the organization could be a model for other communities, states, and even our country. After seven months of frequent and intense meetings, they established Friends For Life. This created the basis for what in 2020 became the Martha’s Vineyard Diversity Coalition (MVDC) and established an infrastructure around which the organization was built. The first Board of Directors was established, the first programs initiated, and the Board expanded to nine members. Incorporation as a Charitable Trust took place in October of 2020 and the Board of Directors became a Board of Trustees.
Three of the Founders continue to be associated with our Board of Trustees: Chair Emeritus Dr. Walter Collier retains an important advisory role with the Board; Sandra Pimentel as Acting Board Chair; and Robert Tankard as a Trustee.
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