Our Mission

Hope in the Cities builds trust through honest conversation on race, reconciliation, and responsibility. Its goal is the creation of just and inclusive communities.

Our Story

Hope in the Cities was launched as a program of Initiatives of Change in 1990 to respond to the need for racial healing in Richmond, Virginia.

A sustained citizen-led effort has resulted in a network encompassing non-profit and business sectors, local government, media and education. It enages people across the political spectrum and of all cultural and religious backgrounds.

A Proven Process for Change

• Honest conversation: creating models of sustained community dialogue involving all sectors and leading to new and unexpected partnerships
• Personal responsibility: moving beyond blame and personal pain to contructive action
• Intentional acts of acknowledgement and reconciliation: breaking cycles of guilt or anger to reach understanding and healing

''The process for moving past and not getting stuck in the blame game is critical for real growth. The mentality of victimhood or guilt-ridden shame anchors us in inaction. Hope in the Cities provides the arena for unselfish leadership and partnerships for building trust and hope." Former Mayor Walter T. Kenney of Richmond, Virginia

Hope in the cities is a program of Initiatives of Change.

Discover more about the ideas and the history of Initiatives of Change.

Read the Affirmations of Initiatives of Change to learn more.