As co-leadership of Coming Together Virginia, Marsha Summers and I were brought together through allyship that quickly evolved into friendship. For Love Month, I want to share some “Marsha Wisdom” (slightly edited) that reflects the relationships forged through dedication to a shared vision. The following comes from a draft Marsha wrote in 2020.
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“Bring Love to the Fight” - that was the phrase Danita chose to establish her rhythm at The Unity Walk. I didn’t like that “fight” was there, over and over. Couldn’t she use “struggle” or some other less violent term? It didn’t seem to jive with the unity theme. Unity means ONE. Fight means dis-unity. Divorce. Chaos. (???)
[Lightbulb off!]
Unity is pretty much an assumption of my privileged life experience. I haven’t been thrown onto a battlefield, caught between flying bullets. Bulldozers haven’t knocked down my neighborhood because of zoning changes. I haven’t had close family torn from home or car or street corner and fitted with handcuffs, noose, or coffin. No fights have started on my doorstep, so I haven’t had to engage in the battle. I have had the option of unconscious objection. Apparently, unity can be a kind of innocent feel-good experience – when it's not being confronted with abuse, insults and exclusion. Like the innocence James Baldwin says he can't forgive - the "can’t-we-all-just-get-along?" kind.
[Lightbulb on!]
There is a difference between starting the fight and being caught with no escape from it. This fight is already raging in my country, my town, my streets, my church, and my family, like it or not. I can zone out, or I can live a Unity that brings love to the fight instead of weapons that only increase hatred. I can choose a sort of conscientious objection, or I can stand next to Danita, pledge to “do no harm” and sign up as a medic for this fight.
In CT-VA, working toward racial healing is our expression of love. Or as Dr Cornel West says, "Justice is what love looks like in public.” To live into this vision takes patience, humility and courage. Thank you Marsha and so many others who consistently bring their hearts and strong convictions to our table. Afterall, love is worth fighting for.
Bringing Love to the fight!
Danita
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DESIREE ROOTS DELIGHTS
CROWD AT NDORH CONCERT
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Racial Healing is the Gift that Keeps on Giving
Grammy Nominee, Desirée Roots and the Weldon Hill Ensemble performed a great concert on January 17th for the 7th annual National Day of Racial Healing (NDORH) In the fabulous Robins Theater at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture there was magic in the air and if you missed it or want to experience the Magic again, you can.
Here’s a link to the concert:
The Movement, the Music and the Magic with Desirée Roots
Your donations support systemic change, neighborhood development, and personal transformation. This is where the work of change begins. Your dollars help to facilitate the future and with your support, we can impact our community in a lasting way.
We invite you to join us and support us by making your gift via the donate button or by sending a check to the address below.
Coming Together Virginia
3601 Seminary Avenue
Richmond, VA 23227
Thank you!
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CT-VA 3rd Tuesday Dinner Gathering
Tuesday, February 21, 2023
6:00 - 8:30 PM ET
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"BLACK HISTORY IS AMERICAN HISTORY"
GAME NIGHT CHALLENGE!
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Don't miss this Love Month treat! Grab a plate and a seat for the return of our Black History Month event. We will have a variety of games, brain-twisting challenges and prizes that will broaden your knowledge of African American History and educate you on the role Allies for Freedom played in the making of America.
Board games! Card games! Trivia tests and lots more. Dinner will be prepared by Richmond's own Grill Brothers, specializing in "pinkies up" southern cuisine. Bring your family and friends for a great meal and an awesome night out.
ACTION UPDATE!
Also hear from members of The Richmond Coalition for Health Equity about the healthcare crisis in Richmond’s East End and what YOU can do to help ensure quality health care services for our neighbors.
WATCH YOUR INBOX for our EVENT INVITATION with REGISTRATION INFORMATION.
Arriving this coming week!
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Stopping everyday bigotry starts with speaking up when you hear it, and speaking up is a lot easier if you can practice in a safe space with people who are committed to building a community that is more inclusive and welcoming.
Join us on Zoom from 6:30pm - 8:00 pm ET on February 15, 2023, as we use role-playing with real-world scenarios that you may have encountered at work, at school, among friends and family, and in public places to help us practice speaking up to bigotry.
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Movie Circle
Discussion
(4th Mondays)
Monday, January 23rd
6:30 - 8:00 PM ET
On Zoom
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Join us for our February film, Invisible History: Middle Florida's Hidden Roots. The film sheds light on the invisible history of plantations and enslaved people in North Florida. Using visually compelling imagery, the film explores the history of a people who contributed so much to what the region is today. While this project focuses on northern Florida, it is a microcosm of the idea of how slavery shaped all of America. Since the documentary is brief, you may want to expand your knowledge with this video of a discussion group with the director
and several historians:
Watch the movie on your own, then join us for the discussion.
Robin & Barbara
Movie Circle Co-Conveners
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Reading For Change
Book Circle
(4th Thursdays)
Thursday, February 23rd
6:30 - 8:00 PM ET
On Zoom
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The Reading for Change Book Circle highlights the story of Kwame Onwuachi’s love of food and cooking and how it put him on the the road to success. However, he found many obstacles. As a young black chef, he was forced to come to terms with just how unwelcoming the fine dining industry can be for people of color. Consequently his first restaurant, which he had planned for years, closed months after opening.
The book chronicles how he was sent to Nigeria by his mother to “learn respect.” However, upon returning to America, the lessons he learned were not enough to keep him from the temptation of easy money on the streets. However through food, he broke away from that life and embarked on a new path starting at the bottom of the culinary chain eventually training in some of the most acclaimed restaurants in the country.
Doug
Book Circle Convening Team
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Education For Action
Book Circle
(2nd Thursdays)
Thursday, February 9th
6:00 - 8:30 pm ET
In-Person
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Our selection this month is Hey, White Girl by Judith Bice. It is 1969 and Virginia’s schools are finally integrating, and Nell must attend a predominantly Black high school. Her brother, Donald, is in his final year of school, and he must either go to college or face the Vietnam War draft. Nell’s mother and father handle these cultural shifts quite differently, and Nell begins to see where each of them stands politically and morally.
This will be an in-person potluck gathering. Please e-mail Cheryl Goode if you would like the location or other information.
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RICHMOND FREE PRESS LISTS
BLACK HISTORY MONTH EVENTS
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Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African- Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. The event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Dr. Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African-Americans.
Black History Month was first proposed by Black educators and the Black United Students at Kent State University in February 1969. Their first celebration took place in 1970, with the month-long event then being celebrated throughout America in educational institutions, centers of Black culture, and community centers.
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THE LIBRARY OF VIRGINIA HOSTS
BLACK HISTORY MONTH PANEL
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Panel Discussion Explores Virginia’s First Black Legislators
Join us at the Library of Virginia on Thursday, Feb. 23, at 6:00 p.m. for a panel discussion on The First Civil Rights: Black Political Activism After Claiming Freedom. This Black History Month event celebrates the completion of a signature project from the Library of Virginia, Virginia Humanities and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Commission to document the lives and achievements of Virginia's first Black legislators. Their stories are now part of the collective digital story of our state thanks to a collaboration with Encyclopedia Virginia, a rich online resource.
Panelists for the program, moderated by Virginia Humanities executive director Matthew Gibson, include the Honorable Viola Baskerville, one of the founders of the project; public historian and University of Richmond adjunct assistant professor Lauranett Lee; Ajena Rogers, supervisory park ranger at the National Park Service's Maggie L. Walker Historic Site and a descendant of Black legislator James A. Fields; and historian and author Brent Tarter, a retired editor with the Library of Virginia.
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The Maggie Lena Walker Story
Pine Camp Theater
Thursday, February 16 4:00-5:00 pm ET
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VARep’s touring production of The Maggie Walker Story will be at Pine Camp Theater 4901 Old Brook Road, Richmond, VA on Thursday, February 16th at 4:00 pm. This free production is open to the public.
This compelling drama is a tribute to the great American woman from Richmond, Virginia who helped establish and organize the first civil rights strike by African American students and became the nation’s first woman bank president. Starting her work at the Order of St. Luke, a national savings group formed to pay the burial expenses of poor Blacks, Maggie Walker became a powerful force in civil rights.
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Thank you to all who contributed to our end of year campaign!
We are grateful for your continued support of Coming Together Virginia and our mission of opening hearts and minds, connecting people,
teaching dialogue processes, and promoting action to call forth justice and
create equitable communities!
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Jonathan Davis, Marketing and Communications Manager
Hayat Bain, Coordinator of Communications & Partnerships
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