On January 10th, 2022, Richmond, Virginia, City Council approved $1.3 million in funding towards the development of a National Slavery Museum and historical campus in the Shockoe Bottom district. This downtown area was the center of a slave trading market that was second in size only to New Orleans for decades before the Civil War and the abolition of slavery. […]

We are approaching the end of two traumatic years. For many life will never be the same. At the time of writing, the US death toll from Covid has reached 800,000. One hundred and sixty thousand children have lost at least one parent or caregiver. Racial inequity, political polarization and economic anxiety touch all of us in different ways. Unprecedented […]

Chris Breitenberg is a longtime friend  and colleague in the work of trustbuilding. He is the Director of National Program Partnerships at Rising Tide Capital, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming lives and communities through entrepreneurship. In that role he continues his life’s effort to build a more peaceful and whole world — by encouraging, accompanying, and equipping individuals and groups […]

I recently returned from visiting a remarkable initiative in LaGrange, a city of about 30,000 in Troup County, an hour’s drive south of Atlanta. For the past six years, a diverse group has been working steadily to heal historical wounds, engage in honest conversation and build partnerships. Chalton Askew, the executive director of Trustbuilding Inc. Troup County, hosted me for […]

“I love America.” These were the parting words of my father at my final visit with him as I left to catch my flight from the UK back across the Atlantic. He spoke with intensity, grasping my hand and attempting to rise from his hospital bed. Dad was a Scot who spent seven years in the USA, arriving not long […]

Across the country, interest in anti-racism has exploded. Books such as How to be an Anti-Racist, White Fragility, and Caste have topped the non-fiction best seller list. Large numbers of white Americans are better informed than ever. Faith communities are engaging in deep conversation about their history and their responsibility. Numerous groups offer training. Corporations constantly use themes of diversity […]

“I refuse to hate someone because they’re Mexican, or because they’re black or white or LGBTQ,” said Tyler Perry in accepting the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at this year’s Academy Awards. “I refuse to hate someone because they’re a police officer or because they’re Asian…  I want to take this humanitarian award and dedicate it to anyone who wants to […]

Chalton Askew is the first executive director of Trustbuilding Inc. in LaGrange, Georgia, the county seat of Troup County, about 70 miles south of Atlanta. The city’s population of 30,000 is 48.0% Black, 44.5% White, 4.7% Hispanic/Latino, 2.5% Asian. Askew is one of six community leaders from LaGrange who have attended the Community Trustbuilding Fellowship offered by Hope in the Cities, a […]

In the summer of 2002 Rev. Syngman Rhee addressed an international conference in Caux, Switzerland. Perched high above Lake Geneva, Caux Palace has offered a place of healing for bitterly divided groups – beginning with French and Germans after World War II. As he approached the podium, the Korean-born peacebuilder and respected leader of the Presbyterian church (USA), removed his […]

A special guest column by Rev. Dr. Paige Lanier Chargois, a Baptist minister who has pioneered truth-telling and racial healing initiatives in Richmond, Virginia, and internationally, and who has served as chaplain at eight universities. Her books include Certain Women Called By Christ:  Biblical Realities for Today. This commentary continues our conversation on the theme of finding our humanity (see […]