Our Story

On June 17, 2015, a White gunman entered Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston, South Carolina, and shot dead nine Black church members who had gathered for evening Bible study. The event was a catalyst for justice-minded people on the Northern Neck who wanted to do something to confront racism. Within days, an interracial, interdenominational prayer service was organized and held at Calvary Baptist Church in Kilmarnock. It was attended by many who would become participants in Interracial Conversations of the Northern Neck.

At St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Heathsville, church members told their priest, Rev. Lucia Lloyd, that they wanted to do something positive about racism, as did she. The group decided to talk with people in the African American community about what could be done and how they could all work together toward those goals. Lucia called the local NAACP, and a few representatives from St. Stephen’s and from the NAACP met for discussion, prayers, and lunch for several months.

 In September 2015, the fledgling Interracial Conversations group held its first public meeting at St. Stephen’s, to which everyone in the community was invited. The group developed goals and decided to continue meeting monthly. Lucia invited three other clergy members to serve with her on a steering committee: Rev. Hal White, Rev. Tyron Williams, and Rev. Linwood Blizzard.

Meanwhile, in August of that year, 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, and social service agencies—had met at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Kilmarnock for a roundtable discussion. The group gathered to discuss what was going well in our communities and what needed work, build a network of community contacts, and share resources. As interest in the Interracial Conversations group grew, more and more people got involved, including many who had attended the discussion at St. Andrews.

 Rev. Tyron Williams, pastor of Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Burgess, became involved early on, encouraging discussions both within his congregation and in the community to educate residents in the Northern Neck about the unspoken—and sometimes unrealized—racial attitudes in the area. After a couple of years of meeting at St. Stephen’s, Tyron offered Mt. Olive as a meeting place for Interracial Conversations. Not only is Mt. Olive more centrally located within Lancaster and Northumberland Counties, but the new meeting site would bring White people into a Black church. The move proved successful, and Mt. Olive continues to be Interracial Conversations’ regular meeting place.

 Our Mission

• Develop and promote diverse cultural understanding throughout the Northern Neck.

• Provide an open and inclusive forum for thought and discussion, where all voices are heard and respected, to promote multicultural awareness and minimize stereotyping used to judge various individuals and groups.

• Leverage our collective knowledge and experience to encourage an environment where discrimination and prejudice are diminished.

• Commit to purposeful actions to promote equality and opportunity for all residents of the Northern Neck. This pledge drives us forward in our mission.

Our Process

As an interfaith group comprised of leaders from various cultural and ethnic backgrounds, we committed to meeting regularly, sharing a pot-luck supper, and learning about the racial and cultural dynamics of the Northern Neck.

Since 2015, the Interracial Conversations of the Northern Neck has hosted and facilitated conversations on the following topics 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