In early December, Commissioner Chuck Chestnut hosted an appreciation dinner for many of the leaders of the Alachua County Community Remembrance Project. He spoke of the inception meeting, where Jackie Davis and then commissioner Hutchinson shared the powerful experience both had while on our first trip to the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. 

On that first trip, we met with representatives of the Equal Justice Initiative to learn more about the process of reconciliation they were hoping counties around the country would engage in in order to explore the histories of racial terror that took place in our country, and hear the stories and make amends together, forging a new history moving forward which honors the victims of the past while owning the atrocities committed on our soil.

It was Commissioner Chestnut who sought approval from his fellow commissioners to engage in the process of reconciliation. And now, two years later, we have learned that Alachua County is one of the most engaged and active counties in the country doing this hard and essential work. 

At the appreciation dinner, the Commissioner and other elected officials made a point to offer certificates of gratitude to many local leaders, including UCG’s very own Dawn Beachy (for her leadership in creating community remembrance quilts), Don Fitzpatrick (for his leadership in the public schools), and Jackie Davis (for her initiative, leadership, and outstanding service in our community). I am honored to have received a certificate as well.

As the evening drew to a close and Commissioner Chestnut was wrapping up his thanks, his final words of appreciation were to you, The United Church of Gainesville. He thanked us for our initiative, partnership, and willingness to do the hard work of racial reconciliation. Thank you, UCG, for all you have done and all that you will do in this important good work. Onward, together, we march.