THE HOUSE WE INHERIT  

I recently bought a house, the one I waited a lifetime to buy. This house was different from the others; I did not have to consider school zones or in-law suites. This was MY house, the house I dreamed of that would welcome my impractical notions and unrealistic whims. But from the moment I signed the mortgage, I was very aware that it had belonged to someone else. The light fixtures were questionable. The bathroom pipes made a funny noise, the garage door had a mind of its own and there were some structural things I’d have to live with until I had the time and resources to change them.

Our relationship with the world we live in is like that. This planet, this country, this “house” might be new to us but it all belonged to someone else before we came along. Now we get to walk into the history of it and be a part of its story. Here's one homebuyer's view with no remorse.

In the final pages of the book Caste by Isabel Wilkerson, she writes: 

We in the developed world are like homeowners who inherited a house on a piece of land that is beautiful on the outside, but whose soil is unstable loam and rock, heaving and contracting over generations, cracks patched but the deeper ruptures waved away for decades, centuries even. Many people may rightly say, "I had nothing to do with how this all started. I have nothing to do with the sins of the past. My ancestors never attacked indigenous people, never owned slaves." And, yes. Not one of us was here when this house was built. Our immediate ancestors may have had nothing to do with it, but here we are, the current occupants of a property with stress cracks and bowed walls and fissures built into the foundation. We are the heirs to whatever is right or wrong with it. We did not erect the uneven pillars or joists, but they are ours to deal with now.

We get to examine the structure, correct the damage and build on history. Speaking of history, Happy Black History Month, family! Celebrate it by visiting a museum, attending a lecture or do what Marsha, Jo and I did. . . . see the movie ORIGIN, Ava Duvernay’s movie based on Wilkerson’s book. Note: Take a hammer. You might want to tear down a wall and EXPAND! 

Bringing LOVE to the Fight for EQUALITY,

Danita

3rd TUESDAY DINNER

Black History Celebration

Tuesday, February 20th

6:00 - 8:30 PM ET

Ginter Park Presbyterian Church

Fellowship Hall

3601 Seminary Avenue, Richmond, VA

Join us on February 20th for our 3^rd Tuesday Dinner Gathering! We’ll be celebrating Black History Month with Dr. Lauranett Lee, who among other things is the inaugural Director of Race and Social Justice at Richmond Hill (RH). She will talk about the relatively recently unearthed history of the enslavement of Africans at RH and their response to it, called The Judy Project. Richmond Hill is an ecumenical Christian fellowship and residential community whose members serve as stewards of an urban retreat center within the setting of a historic monastery. The mission of RH is to serve the healing of the metro Richmond area through prayer, hospitality, racial reconciliation, and spiritual development. RH is located in the Church Hill neighborhood in the East End.

The Judy Project is named for a woman enslaved in the Adam-Taylor House (on current RH property) in the Civil War era, and centers on rehabilitating the Dwelling where enslaved people once lived, and incorporating spaces for reflection, dialogue and healing. The overall project mission is much broader, incorporating truth telling and shifting the narrative of RH and Richmond, educating the community, developing genealogical records and tools for finding descendants of the enslaved, involving youth, and connecting our current day inequities with our history of enslavement of Africans. Learn more about the project’s history and goals here. 

Between the 1740s and 1865, at least 200 blacks were enslaved by the owners of the property on which Richmond Hill now sits. Dr. Lee will describe the historical research that provides some understanding of the conditions of that urban enslavement and that provides insights into current inequities. She will also offer a perspective on interpretation of historic spaces in ways that de-center the “master narrative”. 

This is a potluck event where we will provide some basics as the meal foundation. Please bring a nourishing side dish to share (African or African American inspired for extra "credit"!) and donations of $20 per person are appreciated to help cover costs. No one will be turned away, so please come regardless of whether you can bring a dish or make a donation.

We will also continue our gently used BOOK SALE, so bring your interest in African American and anti-racism related topics....and your physical or digital wallet!

***You are also invited to bring your favorite movie title/description or book related to black history, stories, people, achievements, etc, to share at the table.

Look for an invitation to register for this event in your inbox soon.

DONATE WHILE YOU SHOP

Movie Circle

A Thousand and One

(4th Monday)



Monday, February 26th

    6:30 - 8:00 pm ET

On Zoom

Mothers are often the keepers of secrets, borne from a primal instinct for survival. But secrets fester, grow bigger and inevitably burst with the resonance of truth, as they do in A Thousand and One, the debut feature of writer/director A.V. Rockwell. The film, which won the U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, casts the harrowing story of a mother and her son against the backdrop of a gentrifying Harlem.

Robin Allman

Movie Circle Convener

***We would love to have an African American co-convener join us for our Movie Circle. Email robinallman54@gmail.com if you are interested in exploring this volunteer role.

Reading For Change

BOOK CIRCLE

(4th Thursday of the month)

Thursday, February 22nd

6:30 pm - 8:00 pm ET

On Zoom

This month our Reading For Change book circle is reading The Black Angels by Maria Smilios. In the pre-antibiotic days when tuber­culosis stirred people’s darkest fears, killing one in seven, white nurses at Sea View, New York’s largest municipal hospital, began quitting en masse. Desperate to avert a public health crisis, city officials summoned Black southern nurses, luring them with promises of good pay, a career, and an escape from the stric­tures of Jim Crow.

Doug Steele

RFC Book Circle Convener

Education For Action

Book Circle & Potluck

(3rd Wednesday)

Wednesday, February 21st

6:00 PM ET



St. John's United Church of Christ

503 Stuart Circle, Richmond, VA

In-Person

The Education For Action book circle will read a series of essays in the coming months. For February, we will read and discuss Planning For Inclusive Communities which is one of a series of essays dating back to 2021 found in the Richmond Racial Equity Essays Project. These essays fit in easily with our circle's goal to not only discuss local issues but to offer various actions regarding these issues. In an effort to sustain this critical conversation, the Richmond Racial Equity Essays (RREE) 2.0 endeavors to showcase the perspectives and work of activists, educators, researchers, and community leaders who tirelessly strive to dismantle oppressive systems.

We will begin by reading the first section of the Richmond Racial Equity Essays Anthology, pages 4-18, Planning For Inclusive Communities. Join us for a potluck dinner and conversation as we discuss Richmond and inclusive communities. Click the Anthology link above or the button below to read this month's essay.

Cheryl Goode

EFA Book Circle Convener

Please e-mail Cheryl Goode to receive the location and with any questions.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH EVENTS

Jonathan Davis, Marketing and Communications Manager