How Hot Is It?

 It's hotter than a billy goat with a blow torch!  

  Hotter than a jalapeño’s armpit!

Lately, it seems no matter how you start a conversation, it always ends with "How hot is it?” Or “Is it the heat or the humidity?”  Who cares (!!!) when walking outside feels like a truth or dare challenge? Friends, climate change is real. We are experiencing unnatural shifts in weather patterns. The planet is getting warmer but are we finding solutions to reverse this cycle? That’s the burning question and that’s not all.

Hotter than a pot of grandpa’s neck bones!

Hotter than Satan’s bath water!

If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen because the economy is making everyone’s temperature rise. The cost of goods and services is making everyone hot under the collar. Yes, inflation impacts our purchasing power but don’t forget those folks who picked that $3 tomato; they are feeling the heat, too.

Hotter than a firecracker lit at both ends! 

Hotter than a baker’s belt buckle!

Is it hotter than the 4th of July? You betcha!! It's an election year like no other. With the long awaited presidential debate now in our rear view mirror, conversations between political parties are sizzling! 45 and 47 are running at a dead heat and our democracy may wind up in the barbeque pit of history.

Hotter than a hen laying boiled eggs!!

BUT WAIT! Here’s a hot tip for you. Did you know that your body temperature actually lowers when you feel hopeful and encouraged? Studies have shown that when you think positive thoughts and surround yourself with positive people, your body temperature can decrease by five degrees. Cool beans!

Our 3rd Tuesday team is on hiatus until September however, we encourage you to chill with us this summer. Travel, read or watch a movie with CT-VA. Check your email for exciting opportunities to grow and have fun with our family. Coming Together Virginia is the hottest game in town . . . and that’s pretty cool.

The News and Observer / How hot is it? 108 other ways to say it’s scorching.

Bringing Love to the Fight!

Danita

3RD TUESDAY

DINNER & DISCUSSION

Returns in September

Join us on 9/17/24 for our Family Reunion Gathering!

HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!

Education for Action CIRCLE AND POTLUCK DINNER

(3rd Thursdays)

In-Person

Thursday, July 18th 

6:00 - 8:00 pm ET

Potluck Dinner & Conversation

The Education For Action 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 42-54, Advancing Economic Empowerment. Click the Anthology link above to read this month's essays. Please take a look at the accompanying section in the Discussion Guide as well. 

E-mail Cheryl Goode to receive the location and further instructions.

Best Wishes,

Cheryl Goode

EFA Circle Convener

MOVIE CIRCLE

(4th Thursday of the month)

 Zoom

Monday, July 22nd

6:30 - 8:00 pm ET

Everybody’s Work: Healing what hurts us all examines the hidden disease plaguing healthcare in the United States: systemic racism. Through the lens of fearless nurses, this documentary not only exposes the biases that result in worse healthcare outcomes for people of color, but it captures the painful impact they have — both on patients and nurses.

A stark reality emerges through their stories: the experiences within healthcare, nursing school, and at the bedside drastically differ for people of color compared to their white counterparts. But because healthcare remains a white-dominated field, those painful experiences largely go unaddressed. This film challenges the notion that if racism isn’t personally experienced, it doesn’t exist. It urges us to confront the reality that it impacts us all.

As the largest and most trusted body of healthcare professionals, nurses are uniquely positioned to lead the charge against systemic racism. Rooted in the foundational values of nursing, they hold the power to dismantle barriers to health equity. But confronting and combating racial bias requires a conscious choice by every individual to change and address systems and individual behavior. Remaining passive or turning a blind eye only perpetuates a cycle that harms us all.

Discover how nurses who dare to challenge the status quo by fostering a community-driven approach, embracing equity-minded practices, and advocating for inclusive education, are paving the way toward a healthier future for all. This film serves as a rallying cry, reminding us that healing from racism in healthcare is a collective responsibility that transcends individual professions and identities. It’s everybody’s work.

Robin Allman

Alistar Harris

Movie Circle C0-Conveners

Reading For Change

BOOK CIRCLE

(4th Thursday of the month)

 Hybrid

Thursday, July 25th

6:30 - 8:00 pm ET

Kiese Laymon's Heavy: An American Memoir recounts growing up in a ferociously intellectual household — the only child of a single mother — as a black boy who struggles with weight. It is about the jagged, uneven road to becoming a writer and a man; it is a chronicle of daily confrontations with the twin assaults of American racism and America's weight-obsessed culture. Heavy... is a compelling record of American violence and family violence, and the wide, rutted embrace of family love.

We look forward to seeing you and engaging in meaningful dialogue. The in-person potluck will be held at the home of one of our members. Please register to receive the location or link.

Doug Steele

RFC Book Circle Convener

CT-VA Hosts Poor People's

Campaign Delegation

CT-VA hosted a dinner on Saturday, July 29th for the Georgia Delegation of the Poor People's Campaign. There were 93 who arrived from Washington, DC at Ginter Park Presbyterian Church in Richmond for their dinner break on their way back to Georgia. Facilitators from Coming Together Virginia, Richmond Pledge to End Racism, Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities and Richmond Peace Education Center welcomed and guided conversations at tables with 7 travelers.



The march was attended by thousands of poor and low-wage workers and their supporters from religious, labor and social justice organizations. The purpose was to center the needs of over 135 million poor and low-wage workers across the country, and to launch outreach to 15 million poor and low-wage infrequent voters ahead of the 2024 U.S. election in November.

Everyone was well-fed, had a comfortable resting spot, meaningful reflection on their day, some uplifting singing, and snacks to take on the long drive back to Georgia.

BE THE CHANGE

There is much work to be done to create the Virginia we want to see.

So roll up your sleeves and let's get busy!