Racial Justice and Healing
In our baptismal covenant, we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves and are asked, “Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?” And we respond, “We will, with God’s help!”
Social Justice Activities
Check back later for developing plans.
The Diocese of Virginia's
Racial Justice and Healing Pilgrimage
September 22-26
RISC
St. John’s supports and is a member congregation of RISC—Richmonders Involved to Strengthen our Communities—a grassroots, direct-action organization made up of congregations throughout the Richmond Metro Area.
Founded in 2002, RISC uses the power of large numbers of people to hold our public officials accountable and to solve critical community problems. Since we have been a member, RISC has focused primarily on three issues: affordable and healthy housing and gun violence. Contact persons: Daryl Quackenbush (daryl.quackenbush@gmail.com) and Sarah Mattingly (smattingly@mac.com).
Juneteenth 2025
The success of our fifth annual joint celebration of Juneteenth with the St. Peter's and St. Philip's parishes has been well-documented in our local press, including the main headline in today's Richmond Times Dispatch.
The celebration began with a brief Libation Ceremony in St. John's Churchyard followed by a march to Peter Paul RVA, where participants attended a prayer service featuring BK Fulton as homilist and enjoyed a performance by Ezibu Muntu, a West African drum and dance company. The festivities concluded with a picnic at St. Peter's Church.
Peter Paul RVA's executive director provide the day's reflection, including the following remarks:
Chattel slavery, in many ways, has been made out to be a glorious system, which taught the enslaved individuals how to be ‘civilized...Even though we are in the year 2024 with limitless access to resources and technology, there are a number of individuals that still operate in this type of thinking... We, as the unified church, as moral and ethical humans, must be unapologetic in the way we remember and assess the atrocity that was chattel slavery.
