WILLIAMSBURG — The Virginia Racial Healing Institute will sponsor its seventh annual Greater Williamsburg National Day of Racial Healing Tuesday, Jan. 20.
The Virginia Racial Healing Institute is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the community. The event will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Legacy Hall.
The theme for this year’s event is “Healing Through the Arts — Poetry,” and the program will feature poetry readings by poets Lacroy Nixon, the inaugural poet laureate for the city of Williamsburg, and Ashlie Chamberliss, a junior at Williamsburg Christian Academy whose work is on display at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. The nonprofit added Adam Canaday will perform a musical tribute in honor of renowned local storyteller Dylan Pritchett, who will be honored posthumously for decades of community service.
The event is organized by Coming to the Table — Historic Triangle, a program of Virginia Racial Healing Institute and the local chapter of Coming to the Table, a national racial reconciliation organization.
The ceremony will include food, music, a candlelight service, and presentation of the fourth annual Table Builders Awards, which recognize outstanding people and organizations that are working to bridge racial divides, the nonprofit said.
An eighth category, an art award, has been added this year to recognize gifted local artists, art performances and exhibits, the nonprofit explained. The other categories recognize outstanding educational organizations, nonprofits, government agencies, faith-based organizations, businesses, History Makers and Pioneers.
The National Day of Racial Healing was established in 2017 by the Kellogg Foundation to bring people and communities nationwide together to contemplate their shared values and create a blueprint for how to heal from the effects of racism. It is an opportunity to bring all people together in their common humanity and inspire collective action to create a more just and equitable world, said Laura Hill, executive director of Virginia Racial Healing Institute.
The event is free, but registration is required. Register at Event Brite.
