In the Beginning
In 1991 members of three religious congregations in Sudbury, Massachusetts, one Jewish, one Roman Catholic and one United Methodist, initiated Students Together Opposing Prejudice (S.T.O.P.) to educate junior high school youth about discrimination, prejudice and stereotyping. Rev. Avis Hoyt-O’Connor (center),Sheila Goldberg (left), and Susan Murphy (right) developed S.T.O.P. in response to an anti-Semitic incident at a local elementary school with the intention of teaching students about discrimination and providing skills for them to become agents of change in their community. After Rev. Hoyt-O’Connor moved out of state, Mss. Goldberg and Murphy continued to lead the program, for 32 years, retiring in 2023. They continue to support S.T.O.P. in an advisory capacity.
In 2010 S.T.O.P. expanded westward. Through the efforts of Farida Alum-Huda, and with the enthusiastic support of several interfaith congregations in the Shrewsbury/Westborough area, a second chapter of S.T.O.P. was born. After a hiatus of several years, the Shrewsbury/Westborough chapter was reborn through the diligence of former teen participant, Ridha Alam. To learn more about that chapter HERE.
S.T.O.P. Program Today
Many religious congregations in the Sudbury/Wayland and Shrewsbury/Westborough areas actively participate by hosting learning sessions and recruiting new participants from their congregations. S.T.O.P. also welcomes young people who are not religiously affiliated.
To date over a 1000 students have participated in the S.T.O.P. program. The curriculum is updated annually to reflect cultural changes and feedback from teens. A large number of students chose to stay involved in S.T.O.P. throughout high school. As a result, these students became the small group facilitators, and S.T.O.P. evolved into a leadership development program as well.
National Recognition
S.T.O.P. program was recognized in 1999 by President Clinton’s Initiative on Race. This Presidential Initiative selected programs across the country which reflected “Promising Practices for Racial Reconciliation.” S.T.O.P. was one of 124 grassroots programs selected for a publication entitled “Pathways to One America in the 21st Century.” Susan Murphy and Sheila Goldberg, along with the other chosen leaders, attended a reception with President Clinton at the White House. 