WHO WE ARE
We are a racially-diverse, non-partisan and all-volunteer group of concerned people from Muslim, Jewish, Catholic and Protestant faith communities in Northern Virginia (so far), who have come together in shared awareness of tragic racial-ethnic and religious disparities in the very systems of justice and public safety meant to insure the equality, liberty and dignity of all. We believe
that Love can overcome Fear, and that Faith can overcome Doubt, and this faith leads us to reach out across our differences because we believe each of us is only as safe as all of us. Together, we work for justice and supportive, restorative relationships with those most affected by injustice. OUR CORE VALUES We are committed to being:
INCLUSIVE– Across racial, religious, age, gender, sexual orientation, and economic status, and listening to the voices of those with less influence, resources and power. RESPECTFUL– Of our many traditions of faith, life experiences and ideas, we remain open-minded and open-hearted to learning about and valuing the needs of all for collective community building. ANTIRACIST– Always mindful of overcoming the impact of our history of discrimination, working with and for those impacted by this damaging truth. EGALITARIAN – Being aware of historical imbalences of power and social privilege, we conduct our affairs through sharing power and working for consensus. NONVIOLENT -- In the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr., we commit to working with those who disagree with respect, compassion, honesty and courage. In the fall of 2015, participants from ten local congregations (ADAMS (Muslim), United Christian Parish of Reston, Martin Luther King Christian, St. John Neumann Roman Catholic, Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation, Christ the Servant Lutheran, Herndon Friends Meeting, Restoration UMC, Unitarian-Universalist Church of Reston) began exploring criminal justice at both state and local levels and organized two community forums to address our concerns: “Making Justice Work in Virginia” (ADAMS) and “Making Justice Work, Policing in Fairfax County” (UCP). GET IN TOUCH
We welcome the participation of more religious communities and individuals, and would be happy to share what we have learned with you and hear about your concerns. CONTACTS: Alan Davis, 703/419-0631 Louisa Davis, 703/860-1203 Asghar Noor, 703/404-444
