Day for All People is our annual Advocacy Day. In 2021, we will be gathering virtually and over the span of a week. People of faith and goodwill from across Virginia are invited to join together to make your voices heard on economic, racial, social, and environmental justice issues. You will learn about our priority policy issues from dynamic speakers and workshops, meet with your state legislators, and engage with advocates in your region.
2021 (virtual) Day For All People
Monday, January 18 - Friday, January 22
Photos from 2020 Day for All People
Session Resources
Plenary recording links, workshop presentation slides and staff contact info
Agenda Overview
Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service
Monday, January 18th is MLK Day. You are encouraged to safely participate in a local community service activity or event. A list of some opportunities is available at the end of our Resources section on this page.
Legislative Visits
During the week, you can participate in two virtual legislative visits: one with your State Senator and one with your State Delegate. These visits will be scheduled in the morning on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Each visit will be 20-30 minutes.
Plenaries, Workshops & Special Sessions
All afternoon plenaries, workshops and special sessions are optional. You can sign up for one or all of them.
Regional Meetings
On Friday, January 22 from 9am - 10am, you are invited to join a breakout room to engage with others in your region.
Prayer Vigils
On Friday, January 22nd at noon, you are invited to participate in (or lead with a couple friends) a prayer vigil at one of five regional locations, or one of the lynching sites across Virginia, or in your congregation’s parking lot. We are holding these prayer vigils as part of our campaign to abolish the death penalty in Virginia. A litany to read during your prayer vigil is available for download in the Resources section below on this page. You can register to attend one of our five regional prayer vigils here: tinyurl.com/nodp2021
Resources
2021 Day For All People Flyer
Spread the word! Download or share the link to invite your family, friends and colleagues to advocate with you!
Featured Plenary Speakers
A lineup of state, national and international leaders and advocates are confirmed to keynote each daily plenary session. Read their bios to learn more about them.
Litany for Prayer Vigils at Lynching Site/Execution Site
Modern-day death penalty is birthed out of Virginia's history of slavery, lynching and Jim Crow segregation. As we prepare to support legislation to abolish the death penalty, thank you for participating in our prayer vigils throughout the state. Litanies have been prepared for each region of the Commonwealth, with lists of the names of the individuals whose lives were lost in a lynching in that respective region. The litanies also contain COVID safety suggestions for gathering.
Eastern Region Litany Central Region Litany Northern Region Litany
MLK Day of Service Opportunities
All events take place on Monday, January 18th except for Danville as noted.
Eastern Region
- Eastern Shore: Community Unity Day Celebration - A joint celebration supported by Northampton Public Schools, Citizens for a Better Eastern Shore and the Northampton and Accomack branches of the NAACP to be broadcasted live starting at 9am on WESR 103.3 FM. This year's theme is “Together We Can Make a Difference for All."
- Newport News: Annual Food Drive - hosted by Mayor McKinley Price and supported by federal, state and local leaders. The community is invited to drop off donations at the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank at 2401 Aluminum Avenue in Hampton, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. This year’s event is a drive-thru collection and guests are asked to remain in their vehicles and wear masks.
Central Region
- Charlottesville: Interfaith Service - hosted by the University of Virginia Medical Center in its main lobby to honor Dr. King and his life. Noon-1pm. (434) 243-2079
- Richmond: Historic East End and Evergreen Cemeteries Clean-Up - These two historic cemeteries are the resting place for many of Richmond’s African-American leaders of the 19th and 20th centuries. There are an estimated 23,000 plots, most of which have become overgrown after over 40 years of neglect. Volunteer work includes cutting and removing debris and logs from the cemetery, and raking and bagging leaves.
- Petersburg: Kindness Rocks - Volunteers will paint rocks with kind words and images that will be distributed safely to clients of James House, a home to men, women and children affected by sexual/domestic violence and stalking in the Greater Tri-Cities Region. Seeing an inspirational word or note will brighten up residents to feel better about their circumstances.
Northern Region
- Springfield: African American Heritage Trail Walk/Drive - walk or drive on a predetermined path along Springfield’s African American Heritage Trail. Please visit at least two of these sites and snap selfies in front of the historic buildings or the markers. Share your experience with us on social media using #MovingForwardMLK.
- Stafford: Community Day of Service - The Greater Stafford Region community is invited to come out to the Target parking lot in Stafford Marketplace for an afternoon of activities that include non-perishable food distribution, COVID awareness education, health screening, mask giveaways, food trucks, and more!
- Sterling: Diaper Drive - 1 in 5 families in the DMV-area lives below the Federal Poverty Level and 0% of diaper needs are covered by food assistance programs. The Catch A Meal Program is hosting a Pantry Love drive to collect diapers, wipes and rash cream to help babies in need. The event will take place at The Jameson at Kincora. All donations will be received via a drive-through system.
Southern Region
- Danville: Sunday Supper Virtual Celebration - On Sunday, Jan. 17. Register by Friday, Jan. 15. Keynote speaker is Former Georgia House Representative and Minority Leader Stacey Abrams. This year's theme is "From Chaos to Community". Hosted by Averett University's Center for Community Engagement in partnership with Danville Community College, Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History and the Commonwealth of Virginia, among many others.
- Emory: Good Trouble - Rosa Parks & The Radical Roots of the Montgomery Bus Boycott - Emory & Henry College invites the public to join them for the keynote event of their weeklong virtual celebration of the life of Dr. King hosted by its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team. Keynote remarks to be delivered by Dr. Danielle McGuire, an award-winning historian, public speaker and author.
Western Region
- Harrisonburg: Food Drive Distribution Prep - Volunteers are need to help prep the distribution of food donations collected in a food drive collaboration among the ARC of Harrisonburg, Harrisonburg Rotary Club, James Madison University Center for Service Learning and Hope Distributed, a partner of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. The goal is to feed is 300 to 450 people.
- Lexington: Community Stand-Up - The annual march with a social distancing twist - CARE Rockbridge is inviting members of the community to wear a mask, come to Main Street around 10:15am and pick a spot six feet away from someone else instead of marching through the streets. For 15 minutes, the roads in the heart of the city will be blocked off in order to allow residents to show the community stands-up for inclusion, stands up for justice, stands up to take racism down.
- Lynchburg: Jubilee STEAM Center Clean-Up & Storage Organization - The community is invited to come out to the Jubilee Family Development center to help renovate an old storage building and prepare for the new Jubilee STEAM Center for youth and adults to help move citizens out of poverty.