It is rare to have the honor of spending time with living legends. But that's what the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities and the Richmond community were able to do thanks to a partnership with St. Christopher's School in early October. Members of the "Syracuse 8" who boycotted the Syracuse University football team in 1970 to demand change and promote racial justice shared their experience and wisdom with over 1,000 people during a two-day visit.

As St. Christopher's Head of School Mason Lecky noted in his introductory remarks, "we all wish that [this] was a discussion of historical significance... and that we could consider this discussion to perhaps be an artifact. The truth of the matter is that what happened nearly fifty years ago is highly topical, highly relevant and many of the same issues, challenges, injustices, and inequities... persist to this day." Over the course of the conversation that followed with the Syracuse 8, their lessons and perspectives touched on the past and present, while offering a path to a more equitable and just future.

You can view highlights of the powerful conversation with the Syracuse 8 here:

 

We look forward to working with you!