Our Story
In August, 2015, a group of over 40 people--clergy, as well as representatives from Lancaster and Northumberland Counties' school systems, law enforcement agencies, judicial system, community and county government, social service agencies, the NAACP--met at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Kilmarnock for a "roundtable discussion." In response to recent national events involving shootings and racial misunderstandings, the group gathered to talk about what is going well in our communities and what needs work, to build a network of community contacts, and to share resources.
Our Mission
· Develop and promote diverse cultural understanding throughout the Northern Neck.
· Provide a forum for thought and discussion as a means to promote multi-cultural awareness, and to minimize stereotyping used to judge various individuals and groups.
· Leverage our collective knowledge and experience to encourage an environment where discrimination and prejudice is diminished.
· Take purposeful actions to promote equality and opportunity to all residents of the Northern Neck.
Our Process
We are an interfaith group formed comprised of leaders from various cultural and ethnic backgrounds. They committed regularly to meet, share a pot-luck supper, and learn about the racial and cultural dynamics of the Northern Neck.
Since 2015, The Interracial Conversations of Lancaster and Northumberland Counties, Virginia have hosted and facilitated conversations on the following topics among different races to create change:
- White Privilege
- Implicit Bias
- Educational Justice
- Trauma on Race Conversations
- Mass Incarceration
- Black Lives Matter
- Anti-Racism Training
- Guiding Conversations with Racist Family Members
- The Importance of Voting
- African-American Entrepreneurship