Dear ,

VICPP is inviting individuals and small groups (from congregations, sororities, fraternities, or others) to join us in recruiting businesses to become Living Wage Certified. 

On Saturday morning, June 25th (and then again on Saturday morning July 30th), we will take a couple hours to distribute literature and talk with businesses about the Living Wage Certification program and invite them to become certified.  

On the 25th, I’ll be joining the team in Harrisonburg, led by Ramona Sanders. We are meeting at 11 a.m. at the Village Kitchen Juice Bar (126 West Bruce Street, Harrisonburg) and having coffee and snacks together before heading off.  

The Charlottesville team, led by Kim Crater and Anne Spanos, is meeting at 10 a.m. at the Aldersgate United Methodist Church (1500 Rio Road East, Charlottesville).  

The Richmond team, led by Jase Hatcher, will gather at 10 a.m. at the VICPP office (1716 East Franklin Street, Richmond) for donuts and coffee before heading off for recruiting in key business strips.  

The NOVA team will focus on businesses in Alexandria and we will share the meeting spot as soon as it is finalized. 

The above details are specifically for the June 25th canvass day. Details for the July 30 canvass day will be announced closer to that event date. 

Please register now to join us in canvassing on June 25th so we can prepare for the outreach (and have enough snacks available). You can do that here:

Have you watched our PSA (public service announcement) video series about the Principles of Health Care yet? We just premiered the second video in this very special series for our JAB Initiative project. The short videos are focused on the principles of ethics in health care as part of our initiative to build vaccine equity during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. They directly confront the connection between the medical community's history of harm towards people of color and trust in our delivery of health care.

This second video features the Reverend Doctor Keith Savage, Chief Servant at First Baptist Church in Manassas, Virginia, delivering a message about autonomy in health care. 

The JAB Initiative is a project of VICPP that was made possible by a grant from Community Catalyst as part of its national Vaccine Equity and Access Program, funded by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Foundation. 

The first video in this series, which premiered last week (click to watch it here), featured a message about the health care principle of beneficence, and was delivered by the Honorable Andrea Olivia Bailey, Prince William County Supervisor and Deaconess at First Mount Zion Baptist Church.

For more information, visit VICPP's JAB Initiative Resources webpage at:
virginiainterfaithcenter.org/health-equity/jab-initiative

Click the button below or the graphic above to watch the video! Remember, sharing is caring, so don't forget to share the videos!

VICPP is proud to support our advocacy partner Celebrate Healthcare for its Juneteenth Festival “Celebrating Freedom, All Fathers, All Families” at Darling Stadium in Hampton this Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. The day’s activities will include health and wellness screenings, COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters, health insurance enrollment, a resource fair with authors, artists, employment opportunities, and lots of community and civic resources; games and special attractions for children; and a lineup of dynamic entertainment featuring a special performance by Rahiem. RSVP in advance by clicking the button below. Use this shortened easy-to-remember link for sharing this event: tinyurl.com/free-juneteenth-darling

There is a shortage of affordable housing all over the commonwealth of Virginia, and many congregations are working to change that. Join us for a webinar on July 14 to hear from congregations and nonprofits on how they have built affordable housing, as well as other ways to collaborate and support people in need. Want more details? Click the button below to register! 

Mark your calendars now to join us again for our free virtual film series in July as we dig deeper into the priority issues on our 2023 policy platform. Four provocative films followed by a discussion with special guests. Every Monday in July starting at 6 pm. We are in the process now of confirming the lineup, but the topics are slated to include white supremacist violence (July 4), implicit bias in maternal health care (July 11), worker fights for paid sick days (July 18) and cash bail reform (July 25). Registration opens soon. Stay tuned!

VICPP's 2021 annual report highlights the major legislative and programmatic work of last year with accompanying photos, financials, and includes a shout out to all of the generous and devoted supporters and advocates who make this important work possible. There is also a special tribute to the late Reverend Canon John Fletcher Lowe, Jr., who lived a life of service for the greater good, and continued that legacy even in his passing.   

Click the button below to view our 2021 annual report on our website. If you'd like to receive a printed copy, or for any comments or questions, please email VICPP Director of Communications, Ayesha Gilani Taylor, at: AyeshaGT@virginiainterfaithcenter.org

Tension over role of racism in public health strains Va. agency under Youngkin

The Washington Post, June 15, 2022

By Jenna Portnoy

Excerpt:

"In five months on the job, Virginia’s chief public health official Colin Greene has rejected the state-recognized declaration that racism is a public health crisis and downplayed the role of racism in health disparities, leaving some fearful for their jobs.
 
"The head of the office that helps vulnerable mothers and their babies said a run-in with Greene left her and her team traumatized, ashamed and uncertain the programs they shepherded through a pandemic could continue under the new administration. She said he gaslighted staffers and reduced one to tears.

"Greene said he wants staff to be accountable for their work and, doubting the well-established link between structural racism and health disparities, plans to create an investigative unit within the department of health to “start fresh” on, for example, reasons for high rates of Black maternal and infant mortality."