Our longest-running dinner gathering is designed for all — newcomers and deep divers alike — who are interested in engaging in the courageous yet clumsy and often uncomfortable conversation on racial healing. Meetings feature local speakers, a delicious meal prepared by a local black-owned eatery and facilitated dialogue on trending topics. Exploring a vast range of topics such as Critical Race Theory and Education, mass incarceration, historical trauma and community Inclusion and the Racial Wealth Gap, our trained facilitators set the pace for a reflective yet energized conversation with a diverse group of dinner companions. Join us for our Annual Black History Bowl, Family Reunion Gathering, Thriving Communities Series and much more.
Co-Conveners: Danita Rountree Green, Hayat Bain and Bonnie Dowdy
Location: 6:00 – 8:30 pm. Typically held at Ginter Park Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, 3601 Seminary Avenue or The Virginia Museum of History and Culture 428 N. Arthur Ashe Boulevard
A suggested donation is always appreciated. All are welcome.
Want the latest information about Dinner Discussion events? Please make sure to join our mailing list.
Dim the lights and pass the popcorn! This circle is for moviegoers who enjoy viewing films with good company. Each month, this group selects a movie for viewing virtually or over dinner in person to enjoy and discuss. Featuring old cinema favorites and trending documentaries, and occasionally joined by the director or producer, this circle promises an insightful exchange each and every time. Registration is required. All registrants will receive an email with the Zoom link or location of the dinner. The Movie Circle is usually held on the 4th Monday of each month when it’s on Zoom.
Co-Conveners: Robin Allman and Barbara Brown
If you would like to participate and want the latest information about our Movie Circle events, please make sure to click on the Movie Circle check box when you join our mailing list.
Previously Seen Movies
Click here to see a list of movies our Circle has seen. We hope you can join us for our next movie gathering.
2nd THURSDAY BOOK CIRCLE – Education For Action
Looking for a more stimulating discourse to keep your justice meter humming? Our Education For Action Book Circle meets virtually on the 2nd Thursday of the month at 6:30 – 8:00 pm ET on Zoom featuring an exciting selection of motivational books that will inspire you to be the change you want to see in the world. With a local and national appeal, we encourage you to invite others to join these deep dive conversations on Civil Rights, Reparations, global equity movements and the personalities leading the charge for justice locally and around the world.
4th THURSDAY BOOK CIRCLE – Reading For Change
The 4th Thursday Reading For Change Book Circle is for book lovers looking for the perfect way to share thoughts and ideas on race, focusing on today’s writers and old favorites. From Michelle Obama’s Becoming, to Ben Campbell’s Richmond’s Unhealed History to James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time, this group covers novels from the bestseller list to classic civil rights literature, to books written by up-and-coming authors. Enjoy fellowship and phenomenal reads most 4th Thursdays of the month on Zoom. 6:30 – 8:00 pm ET.
No meeting in November and December.
Co-Conveners: Cheryl Goode, Karen Franklin, Brett Hoag, Doug Steele, and Marsha Summers. For more information about Book Circle events or to be added to our mailing list contact us . To see a list of books our circle has discussed, please click here.
Becoming Community Series is a bridge between workplace, faith-based and other organizations that desire to build relationships with a broader or specific community. The series has 4 stages which include watching movies, learning about current thought leaders on race-based topics, meeting community advocates, and learning how to facilitate difficult conversations. Four independent 6-week sessions designed to be a bridge between your organization and the Beloved Community.
Our trained “Frontline” Facilitators keep courageous conversations moving toward the goal of building trust & inclusion, acknowledging and healing historical wounds of the past. They lead with guidelines for the conversation (touchstones) and the Circle Process – both create a safe space supporting intentional listening and honest authentic dialogue. We offer facilitator training to all interested with certification (coming soon!) For more information contact us at info@comingtogethervirginia.org
Coming Together Virginia believes that being present in a place of history invites us to enter a story with not only our mind but with our heart and senses. We see pilgrimages as a way of facing history and inviting healing into the present. Bondage, Resistance, and Freedom are common themes associated with these. A powerful experience was the second pilgrimage as a civil rights trip from Birmingham to Memphis, done in partnership with Living the Legacy Project. Others included a visit to Monticello and a “Pilgrimage of Pain and Hope” to Hampton and Fort Monroe, done in partnership with Journey with Me.
If you would like to be part of the pilgrimage planning circle, go to our Contact Page and put pilgrimage into the subject line of an email: info@comingtogethervirginia.org
In addition to more contemplative pilgrimages, CT-VA sponsors many visits to museums and exhibits in Richmond and beyond. We have arranged tours of the Black History Museum, The American Civil War Museum, The Maggie Walker House, Shockoe Bottom and Devils Half Acre, The Virginia Museum of History and Culture, The Library of Virginia, and the Trail of Enslaved Africans, in Manchester. We hope to add these shorter Richmond area visits monthly, knowing how much history there is to uncover in the former Capital of the Confederacy. Tell us what you would like to see with group support and processing as part of the experience.
If you would like to help provide leadership and planning of similar activities, let us know by including TOURS in the subject line of your email: info@comingtogethervirginia.org
