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College Stands with Community
Center for the Study of Religious Freedom collaborates on event to unite community in response to Islamophobia and xenophobia
News Release | January 20, 2016
“Standing Together”
Press Conference & Public Gathering
Sunday, January 24
2:00–3:30 p.m.
Slover Library, Norfolk (Parking)
In response to increasing Islamophobia and xenophobia, the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom at Virginia Wesleyan College, and other community partners will host “Standing Together” at Norfolk’s Slover Library on Sunday, January 24 (2:00-3:30 p.m.)
This public gathering will feature a clergy press conference and an interfaith panel discussion exploring themes of religious understanding, solidarity and community. Participants will demonstrate support for the Muslim community and others as they stand together against divisive and bigoted rhetoric.
Virginia Wesleyan College President Scott D. Miller shared his support for the initiative in a Virginian-Pilot opinion column published on Jan. 20. The column applauds college campuses for utilizing their diverse makeups to foster dialogue, but urges institutions to take their efforts further:
“The raucous and contentious times in which we live demand that we do more. Virginia Wesleyan College is taking an important first step toward increasing tolerance for those who may be marginalized by the anger and activities of exclusion.”
On January 4, a full-page advertisement appeared in the Virginian-Pilot that shared a joint statement titled “We Stand Together,” followed by the names of over 140 religious leaders, houses of worship, and institutions—including the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom—that have committed their support to resist religious prejudice. Since then, an additional 163 signatories have made the same commitment through an online pledge.
“We are so fortunate to work together with partners throughout Hampton Roads, speaking out against the kind of speech and actions that tear our community apart,” says Craig Wansink, Joan P. and Macon F. Brock Jr. Director of the Center for the Study of Religious Freedom and Professor of Religious Studies at Virginia Wesleyan College.
Additional organizers and participants include representatives from Chrysler Museum of Art, Congregation Beth Chaverim, Crescent Community Center, First Presbyterian Church of Virginia Beach, Hampton Mosque and Islamic Center, Hampton Roads Pride, Masjid William Salaam, Multicultural Alliance of Virginia, Muslim Community of Tidewater, United Jewish Federation of Tidewater, Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations, Virginia Organizing, and more.
Visit http://www.inclusiveva.org/standing-together-hr/ to learn more about the "Standing Together" initiative. Registration is appreciated, but not required.