Our Mission:
Becoming Beloved Community
Dismantling racism through love in action. Creating justice with dignity and respect.
Our Mission is to:
Tell the Truth through educational programs, re-examining local stories, partnering with allies and accomplices.
Proclaim the Dream through interfaith gatherings for reflection and spiritual practice, seeking repentance, and rebuilding systems and structures.
Practice the Way of Love by providing space for public story-telling, offering training opportunities for all ages, facilitating leadership training, and coordinating pilgrimages.
Repair the Breach by building community partnerships, offering space for community groups, creating and offering justice initiatives, and supporting restorative justice initiatives.
Our Programs
The Beloved Community Initiative in Iowa equips people for the lifelong work of growing as a community of reconcilers, justice-makers, and healers. The work for racial justice requires a long-term commitment to change in every aspect of our individual and public lives. Our programs encourage that lifelong work in the areas of truth-telling, proclaiming a vision of justice, practicing the way of love and repairing the systems and institutions that perpetuate injustice.
While Iowa City sometimes likes to pride itself in being a liberal oasis, open to all, there is still work to be done. We are a community of great privilege, and as we simply must be more aware of the ways in which we still need to work for justice.
From our inception in 2017 to supporting the 17 actions resolved by our city council, we remain committed to dismantling racism in all its forms. The time to act is now.
Speak Up, Speak Out provided a platform for people to share their feelings and stories about racial inequality. During this event, which was held at the Phea...
Speak Up, Speak Out provided a platform for people to share their feelings and stories about racial inequality. During this event, which was held at Mercer P...
Get Involved
There are many ways to get involved with the work of the Beloved Community Initiative. Do you have gifts, stories, or resources to share? Are you looking for training and or education?
Participate in programs
Check out our calendar for upcoming events and programs.
Volunteer opportunities
Volunteer your time. We depend on volunteers to staff our events and our programs.
Make a Donation
The work of the Beloved Community Initiative relies on donations from community members.