On November 17, the United States Institute of Peace hosted a screening of "Apology," a short film that captured the historic apology of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to Australia's indigenous peoples. His remarks on February 13th, 2008 were addressed specifically to members of the "Stolen Generations" for the wrongs committed against them by the Australian government.

Hundreds of community leaders from the Richmond region gathered for Hope in the Cities’ 12th annual Metropolitan Richmond Day breakfast and forum on November 20. The keynote speaker was the former mayor of Charlotte, Richard A. Vinroot who forged creative regional partnerships during his tenure, 1991-1995.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch asked Hope in the Cities to run a series of seven round table discussions on issues relating to the Presidential election. The discussion explored how faith guided decision-making in terms of the election by gathering a diverse group of people who are deeply rooted in their faith.

At the request of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, Hope in the Cities facilitated a dialogue on immigration policy issues on October 2. Immigration has been a heated subject since local legislators in Manassas, Virginia were coerced into passing policy that enabled police to ask suspected immigrants for their identification and papers before they were even charged, thereby targeting immigrants and minorities without “due cause.”

On Thursday, November 20 Hope in the Cities will host the 2008 Metropolitan Richmond Day community breakfast and forum at the Downtown Richmond Marriott hotel at 7:30am.

David Campt, the nationally recognized dialogue consultant, facilitated a forum on Building Trust for Regional Cooperation in Richmond on September 24.

What would a more just community look like? Could you paint a picture of your vision? Hope in the Cities posed these questions to citizens in downtown Richmond, Va.

Hope in the Cities partnered with the American Civil War Center (ACWC) at Historic Tredegar Ironworks and Hermitage High School (Richmond, Va.) to facilitate dialogue among students and support their exploration of how the Civil War and its effects continue to influence their lives.

IofC-USA Executive Director Don Cowles calls for an investment in the work of building trust in order to realize the full potential of the metropolitan Richmond region.

Can we create an environment that encourages and rewards innovation and risk? Four hundred and fifty Richmond leaders wrestled with this question at Metropolitan Richmond Day organized by Hope in the Cities on 8 Nov as they considered the future of the region’s schools.