Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities

Today’s blog is written by Jessica Hawthorne, Vice President of Programs at Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities (VCIC). We asked Jessica to tell us more about the work of VCIC and to share her experience as to how religious persons or groups have supported or hindered her work. Thank you for taking time to share with us, Jessica!

Tell us about VCIC and how you came to be a part of their work:

The Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities works with schools, businesses, and communities to achieve success by addressing prejudices, in all forms, in order to improve academic achievement, increase workplace productivity, and enhance local trust. Through workshops, retreats, and customized programs that raise knowledge, motivation, and skills, VCIC develops leaders who work together to achieve success throughout the Commonwealth.

I came to this organization through a family member who attended a program and could not stop singing VCIC’s praises. Supporting individuals and organizations as they work toward more inclusive environments has always been critical work and is even more important in recent years. I saw first-hand as a volunteer how VCIC’s programs can change lives by bridging relationship gaps and reducing incidents of bullying and bias. Now, as a staff member, I am honored to not only witness it, but design programming for it.

In the last year alone, VCIC facilitated a record 1,046 programs for nearly 30,000 Virginians. And, although the prior year was not as full due to COVID shutdowns, we have doubled the number of programs delivered from last year to this year. These programs address a range of social identities. As a staff member, I have seen how these numbers translate to profound impacts among our participants. In our specific LGBTQ+ work, we have had former youth retreat participants share with us that our program was the first place that made them feel like they could be their full LGBTQ+ selves. We have had educators share with us that they learned more in our 90-minute workshop differentiating between sexual orientation and gender identity than they had in a lifetime. We have supported business leaders through the process of re-writing policies to include gender identity and sexual orientation as protected groups in their organizations.

How have religious persons and groups supported or hindered your work?

As a person with degrees in both Religious Studies and Theological Studies, I have been grateful to meet so many LGBTQ+ affirming Christians in this work. (And I want to note that my experience in a Methodist seminary created space for a lot of those introductions.) In VCIC’s work, we often discuss how no group is a monolith, and religious groups are no exception. A lot of harm has been done to LGBTQ+ people in the name of religion. And, in the face of that, I see the churches and religious individuals who are actively seeking to restore the “church hurt”, who show in their actions that they reject the “religious bigot” stereotype, and who support more inclusive policies, practices, and laws for their LGBTQ+ colleagues and community members in the face of loud and powerful opposition. These individuals and churches may be in the minority globally, but they are out there and doing important work that needs to be affirmed and celebrated.

How can individuals or churches support your organization?

As most non-profits do, we invite individuals to directly volunteer their time with our organization or offer a financial donation. And, given our mission to work toward inclusion, VCIC dreams of a day where we are no longer needed; where there are enough community members who are consistently advocating, building new relationships, righting historical wrongs, and combating injustice without a need for an organization to encourage them to do so. Therefore, we welcome partnerships with churches who want to ensure that LGBTQ+ inclusion is at the heart of their work and who want to mobilize their congregants to advocate for inclusion in other aspects of their life beyond their engagement with the church. Learn more about us at https://inclusiveva.org/.

Finally, what would you like to say to a religious audience like ours?

In seeking full inclusion, it is important to also recognize that there are people who have multiple marginalized identities within the religious LGBTQ+ community, and the needs and experiences of those groups must be heard and understood. Full inclusion cannot happen without acknowledging the full breadth and depth of the LGBTQ+ experience. So, to those doing this work, keep it up, and let us know how we can support you!