Dear ,

Yesterday, VICPP’s board president, Rev. Dr. Anthony Fludd, read our letter calling upon the Governor to restore voting rights to those who have served their time in a transparent and expedited fashion at a press conference highlighting the issue.  

More than 400 people of faith signed our letter to the Governor, but we are holding it till next week with the hope of getting 1000 people to sign. Here’s what the letter says: 

Dear Gov. Youngkin, 

As people of faith of many traditions, we call upon you to clarify and expedite the process for restoring voting rights for those coming out of Virginia's prisons. Doing so builds on the following key faith values: 

Hope: Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you, declared the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." People coming out of prison need hope and a future. Most are eager to vote. You have the power to offer hope by creating a clear and expedited process for restoring people's rights to vote.

Restoration: II Corinthians 13:11 says, "Strive for full restoration, encouraging one another, be of one mind, live in peace."  People of faith believe in restoring people to wholeness -- allowing them to be full participants in society. You have the power to offer full restoration to all those coming out of prison by creating a clear and expedited process for restoring people's right to vote. 

We are Christians, Jews, Muslims and other people of goodwill. We urge you to use your faith values to create hope, restoration and forgiveness for our sisters and brothers coming out of prison.  Please create a clear and expedited process for restoring people's right to vote. 

We also invite you to join the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy in advocating a constitutional amendment to allow people's rights to be automatically restored, thereby increasing hope, restoration and forgiveness and reducing government bureaucracy. 

We ask you to prayerfully consider these requests. Thank you! 

If you haven’t yet signed the letter, please sign it HERE. If you have, please forward this roundup to friends and encourage them to sign by April 20. 

If you’d rather write the Governor a personal letter, you can mail it to: Governor Youngkin, P.O. Box 1475, Richmond, VA 23218.  

With hope, 

Kim Bobo 
Executive Director 

VICPP is supporting a public event and rally for Dulles and National Airport workers at the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority headquarters in Arlington on April 19th. At the end of the event, we will deliver the letter signed already by more than 300 people of faith calling upon the MWAA to set living wage, healthcare and paid sick day standards for these workers. Come to the event and learn more from the workers about their situation, support them, and join in delivering the letter. The event will be as follows:  

What:   Faith-Rooted Action for NOVA Airport Workers 
When:  April 19th, 11:45 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. 
Where: MWAA HQ, Two Potomac Yard, 2733 Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA, 22202  

To register for this event, click the button below. If you haven’t yet, sign the letter calling upon the MWAA to set standards for living wages, affordable healthcare, and paid sick days by clicking HERE.  

Join the James River and the Hampton Roads chapters of VICPP to push back against the dominant story of gun violence in our culture. Chapter leaders have invited bestselling author and renowned activist Shane Claiborne of RAWtools, Inc. from Philadelphia to Newport News. Together, we will decommission a gun and, using a blacksmith shop, forge it into a garden tool. The event will take place at St. John’s Church of God in Christ in Newport News, Virginia.

Shane is a self-described “champion for grace” who values helping unhoused people, protesting against wars, advocating for the end of the death penalty, and supporting methods to end gun violence. He has worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, founded The Simple Way in Philadelphia, and heads up Red Letter Christians. Together with RAWtools founder Mike Martin, Shane wrote Beating Guns.

Click the button below to register. Click HERE to watch a promotional video about the event. 

Please join us for this exciting session from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 31, 2023. This training and planning session is very important as we prepare for the 2023 legislative elections. We will focus on the value of faith-based organizing, how we can establish shared trajectories, and building a great regional team for voter engagement and candidate forums. Lunch will be provided.

Will you roll up your sleeves?

Upcoming events are posted to the web regularly. Please click the button below to check out the VICPP Events webpage.