IofC U.S. Alumni Take Part in the WAVES 2020 Brunch

On January 22, 2020, members of the IofC U.S. Alumni network joined the WAVES Brunch, part of the National Day of Racial Healing events. This was a space to reconnect and celebrate the great work that our alumni do in the cities of Richmond and Washington, D.C. in the social justice, creative arts, nonprofit and community building sectors.  

We came together in recognition of how different WAVES of migration have changed our lives, taking us in a journey to honor the ancestors who found their lives forever transfigured by the transatlantic enslaved trade, until today when new WAVES of migrants reach our countries bringing strength, diversity, innovation and opportunities.  

We reflected on the power of Joyful Resistance manifested in the music, the food, the art and the dances of today’s migrants and those of the African ancestors. Different human expressions that gave the ancestors the strength to ensure their liberation and give us today the hope and happiness to be part of new communities while celebrating our diversity. 

The brunch buffet was prepared by Chef George Carroll and Chef Manny Baiden, enriched with spices from West & North Africa to The Caribbean. This time together also gave us food for thought on the world marketplace and what we consume by exploring how global extractive economies are stillhard at work, from bodies to gold, diamonds and uranium, to name a few. 

Thank you to all of those who took part in the WAVES Brunch, our alumni from the Caux Scholars Program in Switzerland and Asia Plateau, Narrative Change Collaborative, and the Community Trustbuilding Fellowship, as well as our special guests Blitz The Ambassador, Alfonso Perez Acosta, and Mark de Clive-Lowe. 

Images: Amanda Barnes