“The Beloved Community is a realistic vision of an achievable society, one in which problems and conflicts exist but are resolved peacefully and without bitterness.
In the Beloved Community, caring and compassion drive political policies that support the worldwide elimination of poverty and hunger and all forms of bigotry and violence.
The Beloved Community is a state of heart and mind a spirit of hope and goodwill that transcends all boundaries and barriers and embraces all creation.
At its core, the Beloved Community is an engine of reconciliation. This way of living seems a long way from the kind of world we have now but I do believe it is a goal that can be accomplished through courage and determination and through education and training, if enough people are willing to make the necessary commitment.”
Building the Beloved Community
In 2020, America and the world saw the largest wave of protests in recorded history. The George Floyd protests demonstrated how deeply race, poverty, and violence permeate our society. While most saw the demonstrations, the labors of care and support that inspired resiliency for those most affected by our social ills went largely unnoticed. Beloved Community Ministries was founded in the wake of these unprecedented protests to harness the creative and healing energy of the movement for long-lasting change.
The building Blocks of the Beloved Community are relationships that foster love, care, and equity. Beloved Community began its efforts in 2020 and 2021 by identifying organizations and individuals that were pursuing mutual aid projects and base-building activities to improve living conditions of the most vulnerable Atlantans. In creating this network of organizers and activists, Beloved Community began to foster dialogue and collaboration that created synergies for advocacy and support for other social causes. Beloved Community also aligned itself with Black organizations and individuals that organized efforts ranging from sustainable farming to housing justice to foster a network of communal care developed throughout Atlanta.
In 2021 and 2022, Beloved Community began offering support, wellness, and reconciliation programming and consultations for people in community. As the Movement to Stop Cop City began to gain traction and attention across the nation, Beloved Community worked to make sure that the resistance could be sustained by providing resources, serving as fiscal sponsor for multiple facets of the movement. At the end of 2023, the organization determined that it would focus on ways to create more sustainable engagement for BIPOC organizers and activists.
In 2024, Beloved Community took its biggest step for its future development by launching the pilot for Beloved Commune: a Black-centered intentional community and gathering space.