Dear ,

Wednesday was the first day of the General Assembly. We’re off and running! 

Most political commentators suggest that little will happen because it is an election year, but they don’t know VICPP and our tenacity. We will be pushing hard on all our priorities. Thanks to you, we’ve built strong relationships on both sides of the aisle – finding common ground on issues that can enable us to move issues forward even during an election year.  

Click HERE to see our legislative priorities and view copies of all our fact sheets.  

Day for All People (our annual lobby day) is a week from today. If you have not yet registered, do so now HERE. Seats are still available (free) for the buses from Tidewater and Northern Virginia. You can register for the bus after you register for the event.  

On Saturday, January 21, we are inviting people to plan or participate in a prayer vigil on affordable housing. See more information below including confirmed locations thus far. Affordable housing is one of our priority issues and we need your help in getting it on legislators’ agendas. 

Today, we sent our Day One Review to our Social Media Team – view HERE. Our Social Media Team is posting daily. You can help by liking us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube and sharing our posts on which ever of these platforms you are on. It’s not too late to join the Social Media Team (click here) and agree to share our posts daily, Monday through Friday, during the General Session. See details below.  

Most of the year, I try to limit emails to once a week – this newsletter, the Weekly Roundup. We can’t do that during the General Assembly because email is the only way to communicate upcoming hearings and votes and invite you to communicate with your Delegate and Senator. Please do your best to respond to action alerts quickly. It makes an enormous difference. Thank you.  

Off and running, 

Kim Bobo
Executive Director

On Saturday, January 21, VICPP is inviting congregations, housing activists, and others concerned about affordable housing to host prayer vigils advocating money to be allotted in Virginia’s budget for affordable housing. The vigil can be five people in your congregation’s parking lot or 50 people at a stalled housing project, a shelter for the unhoused, or a rental property evicting people. It can take place any time on Saturday, January 21, or even on Sunday, January 22. The timing is good for influencing the General Assembly budget priorities. If you’ve never organized a prayer vigil – this is an easy one. VICPP will coordinate the media that makes your vigil part of an overall strategy for making a difference. The more locations we have vigils take place over the same day (or weekend), the larger our movement, the more attention we draw from the media and then the legislators and decision-makers. Overall, we will make a greater impact together. Please get involved. It's easy to do so.  

Click HERE for the organizing guide. Click HERE for the sample litany. Email Sheila Herlihy if you want to participate. She’s happy to schedule a call to talk through organizing a vigil. She can be reached at: Sheila@virginiainterfaithcenter.org

Click the button below for more information.

Check out our latest TikTok video behind the scenes at the GA!

VICPP's powerful Social Media Team is back in action this year! We are asking for volunteers who will agree to post daily (Monday through Friday) during the General Assembly using a draft posting we will send you. This is very effective so rally up everyone you can and sign up! A massive thank you to those of you who have already signed up! If you can help with the Social Media Team, either click the button below or email Director of Communications, Ayesha Taylor, at: AyeshaGT@virginiainterfaithcenter.org

And click the "watch video" button below to watch our TikTok video featuring VICPP Faith Organizer Sheila Herlihy Hennessee, New Leadership Organizer Dr. Terri Erwin, and (the voice of) Director of Communications Ayesha Taylor. 

Join VICPP at the General Assembly to advocate social justice on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023! We're so excited to be back in-person for our flagship advocacy day in 2023! 

Please do not wait until the last minute to register. Register now! Full registration will close on Monday, Jan. 16. You can still register after Jan. 16 and we welcome all attendees, but we cannot guarantee that you will have a welcome packet, lunch, or legislative visit. This is because preparing visits and materials is a gigantic undertaking for VICPP staff that takes a long time, and after Monday, the team will be tied up with other DFAP arrangements and the GA. We have a wonderful program lined up for you and we want you to get the full experience! Register NOW! 

Find more information and all updates at:
tinyurl.com/dfap2023

Or click the button below.

Questions? Email: AyeshaGT@virginiainterfaithcenter.org

Thank you to all those who have already registered, and who register after reading this newsletter. We have been finalizing the details for what we know will be an exciting experience for all of us! Thank you for your patience as we get all of the details finalized. Your first welcome email with instructions and event details will be sent *this evening. Please keep an eye on your inbox. We will also continue to send additional emails with more information.

*During this time of year, a lot of things are happening. The VICPP staff is running on adrenaline... and plenty of tea and coffee. GA is in session and the team is in legislators' offices and Session daily, and communicating all of the important updates to everyday Virginians, advocates, media, coalitions, and legislators. Our two annual events are almost here. Our community advocacy work continues. And lots more is happening. We are all burning the midnight oil so we appreciate your patience as we get accurate information out to you as soon as possible. In other words, "this evening" may sometimes mean 2:00 am. 

We may be a small staff team here at headquarters in Richmond, but we are mighty. And together with your support, we are a movement!

Students of Virginia -- Join us to learn the legislative process in Virginia and how to advocate with your elected representatives! Come into Richmond Thursday evening (Feb. 2) for dinner with legislators, an overview of how to lobby, and a social time. Friday morning (Feb. 3), we will start the day with an opportunity to meet with your representatives in the General Assembly. Afterward, we will have lunch and workshops on how to bring advocacy to campus, and standing up for justice in various spheres. Keep an eye out for workshop registrations coming son! 

Bonus: We're working with some universities for professors to offer class credit when you attend this event! Check with your professor to find out if you qualify.

Questions? Email VICPP New Leadership Development Organizer Dr. Terri Erwin at: Terri@virginiainterfaithcenter.org

Click the button below for event info and to register!

The holiday season is not over, and with the GA just around the corner, VICPP still has suggestions of ways to advocate justice in the community! Our team has put together an interfaith calendar marking the festivities of from now through February, along with a series of actions you can take to make sure justice plays a role in your celebrations. There are many fun, engaging, and impactful opportunities to engage people of all faiths and of goodwill. Plus, it's easy to print and share! Please share widely, in your congregation’s newsletter or bulletin boards, and with friends. Simply click the button below and be sure to share the link!

For a more comprehensive list of upcoming events, please click the button below to check out the VICPP Events webpage.  

Remembering Richmonders who passed in 2022 (Guest Commentary)

Richmond BizSense, Jan. 6, 2023

By Edwin Slipek

Excerpt:

"As 2022 fades from view, here is a bittersweet salute to those in our community we lost last year. Their individual and collective vision, energy, leadership and example enriched the building blocks that make up metropolitan Richmond. Each of us could make their own list – here’s mine:

Muhammad Saleh Sahli, 86, born in Haifa, Palestine, and reared in Beirut, Lebanon, died on May 5. After receiving his doctoral degree in organic chemistry from the University of South Carolina, he was employed for many years by Allied Chemical and DuPont, respectively. But he is also remembered for his dedication to interfaith understanding. As a member of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy and other organizations, he was an eloquent lecturer about the practices and beliefs of Islam, and the commonalities between Islam, Christianity and Judaism."