COMING SOON!


Beloved Community Virtual Tour


There's a new way to learn about the racial history of Charlottesville! We're developing a virtual tour which allows you to visit significant historical sites in Charlottesville through your web browser or smartphone! Our tour introduces visitors to a more complete history of Charlottesville and untold stories of Cville residents, all with the goal of addressing inequity and creating Beloved Community.

WHO ARE WE?

We’re a multi-racial group of people who came together around a common mission: to shine the light of truth on our shared history. We’re not professional historians or academics, but rather people who grew up here and want to create a better, more equitable community. Facing painful truths is necessary in order for us to move forward together.

“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”
-- James Baldwin

Meet the team

DeTeasa Gathers

DeTeasa Gathers is a Founding Leader of the Descendants of Enslaved Communities at the University of Virginia, a long-term employee of the UVA Department of Surgery and First Baptist Church West Main. She is a UVA parent, a member of the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers Community Engagement Committee, and servers as a Community Activist.

Diane Brown-Townes

Diane Brown-Townes, MEd. Community Engagement Educator, Multivocal History Documentarian/Interpreter, Vocational Mentor, Researcher, Writer, Producer. Owns & operates BTE Productions, a professional multimedia service. The sharing and exploration of unfolding Stories. www.dianebrowntownes.com.
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Kathy Spaar

Kathy Spaar is a long-time cross-cultural trainer, naturalist and spiritual director.  Growing up in Charlottesville,  Kathy is a UVA graduate and has worked and traveled extensively in Europe and Latin America.  She dedicates much of her time now working for racial truth and reconciliation with a number of local organizations.

Lyall Harris

Lyall Harris is an artist-writer who returned to her home state of Virginia in 2015. Themes in Harris’ work include motherhood, family history, and racial justice. Visit her website: www.lyallharris.com.

Sarah Kelley

Apostle Kelley began in the ministry 35 years ago and is the Pastor/Founder of Faith, Hope and Love International Healing and Deliverance Center, Inc. She also founded the "Another Chance Ministry" and is a retired nurse and computer programmer.

Valerie Washington

Valerie Washington studied Economics at Christopher Newport University before joining the staff at PVCC as an ABE instructor. She also works full time at the Haven as a Case Manager and is pursuing her Master in Urban and Regional Planning at VCU.

Advisory Members

  • Pat Edwards -- Special Education Teacher, Charlottesville High School (retired); Born in Charlottesville and grew up in the Starr Hill Neighborhood.
  • Helena Estes-Johnson -- IRB Compliance Coordinator, UVA Health Sciences Research; Born in Charlottesville and attended the Jefferson School.
  • Charlene Green -- Deputy Director of the Piedmont Housing Alliance; Former Manager of the Office of Human Rights
  • Gary Sandling -- Vice President of Visitor Programs and Services at Monticello
  • Jalane Schmidt -- Associate Professor, Depart. of Religious Studies, UVA; Organizer of the local Black Lives Matter movement.
  • Bernadette Whitsett-Hammond -- Psychologist, Charlottesville City Schools (retired); Member of the Preservers of the Daughters of Zion Cemetery; Native of Charlottesville.

Project Leaders

Elizabeth Shillue, Founder & Director of BCC

Michael Cheuk, Assistant Director of BCC
For Elizabeth's and Michael's bios, please visit our "About Us" page.

The Beloved Community Cville Tour is made possible in part by Virginia Humanities
​ and the Democracy Initiative’s Memory Project at the University of Virginia.
We partner with Light House Studio in creating videos for the tour sites.