|
Yesterday I was reminded of an important CTVA milestone. Exactly three years ago this week, former Governor Ralph Northam announced the creation of a new time capsule to replace the old one located at the base of the Robert E. Lee Monument. When the statue was removed, the original time capsule was damaged. “It is fitting that we replace the old time capsule with a new one that tells that story,” said the governor, recognizing the work of repair ahead. There were nearly a hundred submissions, from songs to BLM stickers to face masks. Coming Together Virginia also submitted an item. It was so unique that not only was it chosen, but First Lady Pamela Northam invited me to stand with her and install it into the new capsule. What an honor!
Our contribution was a railroad spike.
As a facilitator, I used a spike as a talking piece. Passed from one person to the next, it ensured no one was left out of the conversation, all voices valued and heard. Why a spike? A railroad spike symbolizes the work of building things together. The joint labor of all races built Virginia’s railroads, representing endurance, 100+ years of progress, and of course, moving forward. That’s the real work.
As we approach a new era in our history, the work we do now will tell our story tomorrow. How we are remembered depends on the goals we set today. What tasks inspired us to lock arms or what gave us the courage to stand alone? CTVA is committed to the inner work of personal transformation and the energizing collective work that springs from inspired collaborations. That’s our job and we take it seriously.
Please join us on the evening of Thursday, September 12th for a very special event celebrating a time when black and white workers came together to build a national historic landmark in Richmond in 1894. And then join us for dinner on Tuesday, September 17th to hear how black and white kinfolk build bridges across the color line. At Coming Together Virginia, we are the work.
Bringing LOVE to the Fight for EQUALITY,
Danita
| | |
Interested in learning to be a FACILITATOR of challenging conversations? |  | |
Join us for a 60-minute ZOOM
Introduction to CTVA Facilitation!
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
7:00 - 8:00 pm ET
Is it time for you to become more active in the work of racial justice and healing? Join our Coming Together Virginia (CTVA) Facilitation Team and receive free training to become a FRONTLINE FACILITATOR!
CTVA offers a structured training program that will prepare you to fulfill this role comfortably and competently. Year one prepares you to create brave, safe space for the table discussions at our monthly gatherings. If you decide you want to deepen in your facilitation skills, you can continue the training and become a CTVA certified facilitator and support conversations in the community.
To learn more, join our 60-minute ZOOM introduction to the rewarding role of facilitator on Tuesday, August 20, 7:00-8:00 pm. We will review what is involved, how we support you, and answer your questions. Current facilitators will share why they continue to do this work.
If interested, please email Dr. Bonnie Dowdy, Coordinator of Facilitation and Training. dowdy8716@verizon.net
| | |
Coming To The Table (CTTT)
Guided Meditation
Sunday, August 11th
4:00 - 5:00 pm ET
Zoom
| |
|
You are invited to participate in this month's Zoom gathering that focus on meditation as a tool for centering ourselves and healing wounds related to race. These Zooms are hosted by the CTTT Mindfulness Working Group. We hope you’ll join us! This month's guided meditation will be facilitated by CTVA's own Hayat Bain.
Please register to participate, so you'll receive reminder emails. If you have not tried meditation, or even if you have, we hope these experiences we offer each month will give you a tool in your own life to help you navigate difficult waters.
The soft deadline to RSVP is August 8. You’ll receive the Zoom details prior to our session on Sunday, August 11th.
|
|
Education for Action Circle
Potluck Dinner and Conversation
(3rd Thursday of the month)
Thursday, August 15th
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm ET
In-Person
| |
|
You are invited to JOIN US!!
The Education For Action Book Circle is reading a series of essays found in the Richmond Racial Equity Essays Project.
This month we are reading the fourth section of the Richmond Racial Equity Essays Anthology, pages 55-69, Shifting Power and Reimagining Partnerships. Click the Anthology link above to read this month's essays. Please take a look at the accompanying session in the Discussion Guide as well.
Best Wishes,
Cheryl Goode
EFA Book Circle Convener
E-mail Cheryl Goode
to receive the location and further instructions.
cherylsbackporch2@yahoo.com
| | |
|
Reading For Change
BOOK CIRCLE
(4th Thursday of the month)
Thursday, August 22, 2024
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm ET
Hybrid: In-Person & Zoom
| |
|
Such a Fun Age is a 2019 novel by American author Kiley Reid. It is her debut novel and was published by G. P. Putnam's Sons on December 31, 2019. It tells the story of a young Black woman in Philadelphia, who is wrongly accused of kidnapping while babysitting a white child, and the events that follow the incident.
This will be an IN-PERSON meeting held at a private home and the location will be provided upon registration. We will also broadcast the meeting on Zoom. You are welcome to participate whether you've completed reading of the book or not.
Doug Steele
RFC Book Circle Convener
|
|
Reclaiming the Story of the Origins of
Richmond’s Old City Hall
A lecture by Professor Peter Rachleff
followed by a panel discussion and an optional opportunity
to engage in a breakout group afterward
Thursday, September 12
6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
| |
|
Presented by
Coming Together Virginia and
the Virginia Museum of History & Culture
Additional support provided by
The Richmond Memorial Health Foundation and
The Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia
| |
|
This presentation by Historian Peter Rachleff, PhD (Professor of History Emeritus, Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota) chronicles the alliance between black and white union activists that held a majority on Richmond City Council. At the peak of the Reconstruction Era following the Civil War, they put forward a vision for a new city hall that resonates to this day. The lecture will be followed by a panel discussion and facilitated small group conversation. Tickets are $25 for the lecture and breakout discussion and $10 for the lecture only.
Coming Together Virginia is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization focused on their vision of a racially healed world of thriving, equitable and just communities.
Look for an invitation to register for the event in your inbox that will be sent within the next week!
|
|
|
Elegba Folklore Society
33rd Down Home
Family Reunion
| |
Sat., August 17th
4:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Abner Clay Park
(Brook Rd. & W. Clay St.)
33rd Down Home Family Reunion, a Celebration of African American Folklife held in historically Black Jackson Ward. This festival is designed to show aspects of West African cultural traditions that are African American and that have been absorbed by the American South.
| |  |
Service of Repentance & Healing and
Repair Fair
| |
One Day, One Step is a multi-church collaboration that seeks racial healing for our city through corporate, intercessory prayer. The event starts with a Service of Repentance and Healing that takes participants through a process of Lament, Repent, and Forgive.
At the Repair Fair, participants will meet individuals leading organizations doing social justice and healing work in our city and will learn how we can support the good work these organizations are doing.
One Day, One Step
Saturday, Sept 7th
9:00 am - 1:30 pm
| | |
|
Initiatives of Change is hosting International Peace Week
September 19 -22, 2024!
The week includes the 4th annual Intersecting History Museum Crawl on Sunday, September 22. It brings together 9 area museums under the theme USA: Belonging Beyond Borders to encourage residents to explore, discuss, and discover how diversity has strengthened our society.
Culminating in the popular museum crawl on 9/22, this is a multi-day celebration, September 19th through the 22nd, featuring diverse programming with both in-person and virtual opportunities in honor of International Peace Week and united by the theme (Re)Turning to Healing. Each event will draw on the region’s complex history to engage residents and visitors in important conversations around justice, peace, and healing.
|
|
|
Coming Together Virginia
thanks you for your continued financial support!
| |
|
Jonathan Davis, Marketing and Communications Manager
Hayat Bain, Communication & 3rd Tuesday Event Coordinator
| | | | |
