Diocese of Virginia to invest $10 million in reparations fund, $500,000 in racial justice fund

Posted Nov 15, 2021

[Diocese of Virginia] During its Nov. 13 annual diocesan convention, the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia established endowments totaling $10.5 million to begin the next phase of the work of racial justice and healing, repair and reparations. As the vision and strategies of the diocese are further developed, funds will be used for grants and loans that directly benefit Black, Indigenous and persons of color communities, organizations and institutions, according to a press release.

The Diocese of Virginia, organized in 1785, and with worshipping communities dating to 1607, has benefited from chattel slavery, the effects of which extend far beyond the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. These actions of convention continue a commitment to learning about and atoning for the sin of racism. The people of the diocese will strive to repair the damage of failing to live by the Christian faith that we are all created in the image of God and that we are all beloved children of God, the release said.

Leaders of the diocese will identify sources of funding and specify uses of the funds across the next five years.

“We are committed to breaking down every wall that divides us,” said the Rt. Rev. Susan E. Goff, bishop suffragan and ecclesiastical authority. “These resolutions provide a means for us to do this work in concrete, meaningful and transformative ways.”

The resolutions approve $500,000 for a racial justice and healing fund and $10 million for a reparations fund.


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