Community
Special Events

Martin Luther King Jr Day

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  • Celebrating as a Community

    January 16, 2023
    To celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day (MLK Day), The Steward School hosted the first-ever Beloved Community RVA Conference from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on campus.  

About the MLK Day Program

After numerous conversations with our School’s Diversity and Inclusion Council, our Center for Engagement, and the Virginia Diversity Network, we wanted to provide an opportunity for students to focus on honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy through seeking justice and a healthy community. While Dr. King is known for many things, including his activism, global impact, and nonviolent protests, his concept of the Beloved Community is one that stood out to us as a theme. After the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965, Dr. King and many other Civil Rights leaders realized that, while legal change had occurred, social change was still not happening. So, in 1966 he penned an essay for Ebony Magazine titled “Nonviolence: The Only Road to Freedom.” In his essay, Dr. King said:


This is just as true today as it was in the 1960s, and it is why we chose to title our conference Beloved Community RVA!

It is our hope that we can gather Middle and Upper independent school students from across the Greater Richmond area to contemplate the question What can we do to further Dr. King’s dream of this Beloved Community?

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  • Program Speakers

    We will feature keynote speaker Ebony Walden of Richmond Racial Equity Essays, other city leaders such as Shunda Giles, Esq. (director of Richmond Social Services), and representatives from Brown Ballerinas for Change. Additionally, Steward students and teachers will host workshops on Leading for Change, Being an Upstander, and Restorative Practices, to name a few. 
  • Program Schedule

    Tentative Schedule 
    9 a.m. — Welcome and Keynote Speaker
    10 a.m. — Workshop 1 (options will be updated on our Instagram page)
    11a.m. — Lunch
    12 p.m. — Workshop 2 (options will be updated on our Instagram page)
    1 p.m. — Affinity Groups
    2 p.m. — Closing session
  • Registration

    While we will require one faculty representative to be present from each school sending students, schools may register more faculty. Additionally, we request that a faculty member register their school’s student attendees. 

    There is no cost for this conference, thanks to the generosity of our sponsor, the Virginia Diversity Network

    Register your students here.
    Register your faculty representatives here.

Program Sponsor



Be sure to follow @BelovedCommunityRVA on Instagram for updates, including workshop titles, affinity group lists, and more as the conference approaches.
    • Beloved-community-steward-school

Questions? Contact Us

List of 2 members.

  • Photo of Tiffany Goodman

    Tiffany Goodman 

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator
    (804) 740-3394 x7521
  • Photo of Richard Smith

    Trevor Smith 

    US Humanities Teacher
    (804) 740-3394 x5563
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