Initiatives of Change USA

06/14/2026

Last month’s Walking & Talking Tour with our friends at The Valentine was a resounding success! We had a great crowd join us for a revealing exploration of the historic Barton Heights neighborhood and rewarding conversation about how that history resonates today.

Thank you to everyone who came out, and a special thanks to our partners at the Valentine for helping make this program possible. Stay tuned for more information about future Walking & Talking opportunities!

05/05/2026

Following a recent journey to Ghana, our Executive Director Allan Charles-Chipman shared his personal reflections on the ongoing, national invitation to celebrate the nation’s “250th anniversary.” What are we truly being called to celebrate? What harmful, painful, and shameful legacies are we being encouraged to endorse? And are we instead much better served by looking ahead to the next 250 years and envisioning a more just, inclusive, and equitable future for all?

Read his thoughts at the link in our bio and sign up to our mailing list.

05/05/2026

After the recent Supreme Court decision effectively gutting the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965, we find ourselves turning to powerful voices from the past; those whose words continue to echo today, speaking enduring truths about our present and providing a bold path to a more just future.

With that in mind, we encourage you to reflect on this quote on the second slide from civil rights activist and freedom fighter Fannie Lou Hamer from 1965.

03/09/2026

An evening of books, conversation, and community. 📚

Join IofC USA’s Circle Up Reading Community as we explore Blackinese: Reflections on Race and Ethnicity from a Biracial Millennial by Patricia Bradby Moore .b.moore

Together we’ll reflect on the book’s themes and what they mean for our shared work and relationships here in Richmond.

March 25 • 6:30 pm
Libbie Mill Library, Richmond VA

The event is open to all and offered at no cost. We provide the books for readers in advance of the meeting to ensure all participants can fully participate in the conversation. Books can be collected in advance from the Common House front desk (303 W Broad St).

🔗 Register through the link in our bio.

03/08/2026

Today we pause to say something simple but deeply felt. We see you.

To the women in our IofC community- our mentors, our colleagues, our alumni, and our friends across the world. We see the courage it takes to show up each day for peace, for justice, and for community. We see the care you bring into difficult conversations, the strength behind your leadership, and the quiet resilience that often goes unnoticed.

Alongside these words, a gentle melody carries our gratitude. A small reflection of the care and courage women bring into the world every day.

Your work shapes spaces of dialogue, healing, and transformation in ways both visible and unseen. Today and every day, we celebrate you and stand in gratitude for the paths you are creating for others to follow.

WE SEE YOU 💜

03/06/2026

“For this month’s reflection newsletter from our Executive Director, Allan-Charles Chipman uses the words of Dr. King to explore our nation’s culture of violence that continues to ripple across the globe, how we need more accountability and less celebration, and what we are called to do in the face of ongoing military violence carried out in the name of Jesus’ revolutionary movement of love.

You can read Allan’s full reflection in our newsletter.

🔗 Link in Bio

02/25/2026

Apply now! ✨

Applications are now open for the upcoming edition of the Caux Scholars Program, taking place in Bandung, Indonesia 🇮🇩 from May 24 to June 15, 2026.

This residential program brings together emerging leaders from across the world to engage in deep learning around peacebuilding, ethical leadership, conflict transformation, and narrative change.

With only 18 participants selected worldwide, we encourage interested applicants to apply early.

📍 Bandung, Indonesia
📅 May 24 – June 15, 2026

Apply now: https://cauxscholars.org

Caux Initiatives of Change Foundation
Initiatives of Change USA
Initiatives of Change Indonesia
Initiatives of Change International
IofC GAIN

02/24/2026

Our Circle Up Reading Community returns in March!

Join us Wednesday, March 25th at 6:30 p.m. as we discuss "Blackinese: Reflections on Race and Ethnicity from a Biracial Millennial" by Patricia Brady Moore.

Attendees will gather at Libbie Mill Library to share a meal, discuss the text, and engage in thoughtful conversation about how Moore's book can inspire action to improve our shared community.

You can pick up a free copy of the book at Common House beginning March 5th, located at 303 W Broad Street.

RSVP at the link in our bio. See you there! https://linktr.ee/iofcusa

02/23/2026

02/19/2026

The Richmond Free-Press, our city's Black-owned, community-driven newspaper, has ceased publication after 34 years.

We salute the Free-Press and the Boone Family for following in the proud tradition of the courageous Black press and history-making figures like Ida B. Wells by proudly and boldly serving our community, without fear or favor.

Above, we have shared a quote from Publisher Jean Boone, where she speaks directly to the journalistic focus of the Richmond Free-Press ever since its establishment in 1992 by her husband and founder Raymond H. Boone Sr.

Free-Press mainstays Regina Boone and Sandra Sellars were featured on one of our Intersecting History Museum Crawls in the exhibit "(Re)framing Protest: Design + Hope," which highlighted some of their coverage of the protests in Richmond during the summer of 2020.

This was the kind of work that exemplified the Richmond Free-Press' commitment to journalistic integrity, and we offer our most sincere gratitude to the paper and the Boone family for over three decades of truthelling, changemaking, and chronicling the past, present, and future of our city.