VCC Magazine Spring 2019

Virginians for Reconciliation By Paul Hedges In 2018 former Governor Robert

For some, the pervasive negative effects of systemic racism appeared to present difficulties that had been resolved, and it seemed that focus on other problems was the priority. The Leaders ofVirginians for Reconciliation remained convinced that there was no better time than the present to unite to create a much better civil tone and to embrace one another in ways that few were experiencing. Virginians published a growing list of its emphases and invited all persons of good faith to join in at whatever level and to work toward the positive changes that inspired them. While the Members began to organize the events and programs they designed for 2019, they also began forming bonds with others who shared their desires for real change. As they continued building bridges of trust, they developed a friendship with Lynne M. Jackson who was engaged in similar work in St. Louis, Missouri, and who spoke to the group at its quarterly meeting in March of this year. Mrs. Jackson is a direct descendant of Dred Scott, the enslavedVirginian whose case for freedom reached the US Supreme Court in 1857. The decision in the case denying Mr. Scott his freedom was pivotal in American jurisprudence and its absurd conclusion sparked a tidal wave of action that led to the passage of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendment to the US Constitution. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney penned the opinion of the Court, and though Mr. Scott was eventually freed, the decision left its mark on many and led to more years of bitterness and hardship. Years later descendants of Justice Taney determined to reach out to Dred Scott’s descendants in search of repentance and reconciliation. Charles Taney and his family located Lynne M. Jackson and the two discovered a very significant and moving restoration through confronting hard truths and yielding to forgiveness and healing. Their touching story has proven a catalyst to a growing movement that is spreading across the country. Governor McDonnell and the growing number of those who have joined Virginians for Reconciliation understand there are tough issues to address, but believe that true change takes place at the speed of trust. They have dedicated themselves to prove themselves trustworthy. To illustrate and promote the journey that is set before so many of us, they invited Mrs. Jackson and Mr. Taney to share their story on the campus of Virginia Union University in early April. While in Virginia, the pair will work with the leadership of VFR, offering their insights and guidance gleaned from their years of pursuing reconciliation in Missouri. They acknowledge that their work may not be met with unanimous support, but are convinced that the promises of equality for all are worthy of devotion and whatever hard work it requires. Paul Hedges is the acting Executive Director of Virginians for Reconciliation is a practicing attorney in Hampton Roads. He served as international director of administration for Iris Global, an international NGO based in Mozambique, Africa. He has also served as an adjunct professor at Regent University, Cornell College, and the University of Mozambique.

McDonnell met with a number of trusted colleagues and began a dialogue focused on the decreasing civility that seems to plague our national discourse. They all agreed that relationships between members of different races had suffered in recent times and that someone should take the lead and put a focus on key issues that warranted specific attention. From those first conversations emerged Virginians for Reconciliation and

mutual commitments among a core group of concerned Virginians to draw others of like persuasions together to advance wide-ranging policies and practices. In the months that followed they determined that 2019 was the year to seize the opportunities presented by the 400 year anniversary of the arrival in Virginia of the first known enslaved Africans. The core group grew quickly as various friends and colleagues caught hold of the vision and met to formulate a plan of action. Soon, members of both major political parties and distinguishedVirginians fromdifferent backgrounds and vocations joined together and developed an eighteen-point agenda for historical societal and cultural change. VFR formed a Board and five subcommittees encompassing needs within the academic, business, church, governmental and arts realms. By the end of the year they agreed to make a formal public announcement of their intentions and broad, diverse support. At a Press Conference in Richmond many lawmakers, business leaders, ministers and others announced their detailed plans to the public. Delegate Delores McQuinn, a leader inVFR, announced she had introduced a Resolution in the House of Delegates, declaring 2019 the Year of Reconciliation and Civility, which later passed the House on a unanimous vote. Governor Ralph S. Northam, who joinedVFR in 2018, then announced that on January 1, 2019 he issued a Proclamation declaring 2019 a Year of Reconciliation and Civility. Against the backdrop of the expression of these highest ideals and policies, Governor McDonnell addressed Virginians. He told all who assembled that it was the group’s intention to undertake extensive dialogue designed to tackle the hard truths that often divide groups in Virginia and the nation. He declared the time had come to make serious efforts to build bridges of trust among peoples who have had difficulty finding harmony despite many efforts by good people to address inequities and prejudices. He explained that one of the group’s primary focuses was to bring people together in the first year, building relationships that could carry the weight of substantive change.

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