On Oct. 4, the organization The Longest Table will be hosting an event at Sinclair. It’ll run from 3-5 p.m. in the building 12 plaza.
The Longest Table is an organization local to Dayton. This organization began with Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum. He thought that people in communities needed to come together not just when tragedy strikes, but before something happens.
About three years ago, they began putting together large community meals in Dayton. After the idea was pitched at the UpDayton Summit, and funding was received for this idea to come to life. Since then, the organization has picked up many partners, most notably the City of Dayton.
The goal of The Longest Table is to create genuine, courageous conversation and bring the people of Dayton together. They claim that the future of Dayton is something that needs to be talked about and the steps we as a community could take to improve our city.
It challenges people to think twice about the assumptions made about various parts of Dayton and the people who live there.
According to Bryan Stewart, the Project Leader for The Longest Table, “It is a movement designed to get folks to break bread with strangers in their community and work to change the way they engage folks they might not normally get a chance to connect with.”
Dinners are held as often as possible, it just depends on who is available to help at any given time. The goal is one every month. The summer of 2018 has been very busy with meals going on frequently.
When asked about his favorite memories from The Longest Table, Stewart stated it was a hard question because there are so many fond memories.
“One time, we had an entire table get up and go see a movie together at the Neon, Stewart said. “Just walking along the first meal where we had 300 people participate is still one of my favorites too.”
If you have interest in donating or participating in The Longest Table, you can go to their website and fill out a form. It also has a space where a Longest Table event can be requested to run at your business or in your neighborhood.
They would love to see you there.
Kali Macklin
Staff Writer