​​Elizabeth Shillue, Founder and Lead Organizer

Elizabeth is a community organizer and educator whose work focuses on making local history and social justice something everyone can connect with. She founded Beloved Community Cville in 2017, launching a citywide film project that brought over 4,000 residents together to view and discuss the documentary I’m Not Racist… Am I? She then led a six-year, community-driven effort to create Beloved Community Tours, a virtual exploration of Charlottesville’s hidden history. In 2024 Elizabeth was recognized as a Minister in the Quaker tradition by Charlottesville Friends Meeting. She holds an MSW from Arizona State University and serves on Charlottesville’s Historic Resources Committee.

Helena Estes-Johnson, Project Organizer

Helena Estes-Johnson values family, history, art, a good story, helping and bringing people together. Helena first began volunteering with Beloved Community Cville in 2014, by supporting the effort to bring the documentary “I’m Not Racist... Am I?” to the Charlottesville community. She then became a docent with Beloved Community Tours in 2020. Drawing upon lived experience, she participated on the teams that created our films about the Jefferson School and Vinegar Hill, including being the narrator. She is a native of Charlottesville and was among the last incoming class of Jefferson School prior to integration. In addition to being on staff she’s a member of the Beloved Community Cville Advisory Board. After searching for her post retirement groove following her career at the University of Virginia as a Registered Nurse and Institutional Review Board Analyst, she is excited to contribute to our team.
Advisory Board
  • James Bryant - Retired, Teacher and School Counselor, Charlottesville High School & PVCC, Former Vice- Chair/Chair of Charlottesville School Board.
  • NyShae’ Carter - Owner of Yanara K. Consulting and Founder of Renewing Mindsets.
  • Helena Estes-Johnson - Retired, UVA Registered Nurse and Institutional Review Board Analyst.
  • Lyall Harris - Visual artist, creative and critical writer, and arts educator.
  • Apostle Sarah Kelley - Pastor and Founder of Faith, Hope and Love Int’l Healing and Deliverance Center, Retired LPN and Computer Programmer. Former president of the Charlottesville Clergy Collective and the Charlottesville and Vicinity Ministerial Council. On the Board of the Haven, Abundant Life Ministries and Impact Organization.  A singer, songwriter, and story teller. 
  • Lucille Smith - Retired, Information Technology Specialist and Program Manager, U.S. Army National Ground Intelligence Center; Author of Unforgettable: Jackson P. Burley High School, 1951–1967.
  • Bernadette Whitsett-Hammond - Co-Founder/Co-Director, Preservers of the Daughters of Zion Cemetery, Retired, School Psychologist, Charlottesville City Schools.
Website Manager - NyShae’ Carter
Media Consultant - Scott Hamler