The Beloved Community Project
The Star Island Beloved Community Project is a journey the Star Island Corporation has been on as an organization since 2018 to create a more inclusive and intentional community, to help spread more empathy and understanding in the world, and to become a more welcoming place for all people. We recognize and affirm that many have been engaged in this process for a long time, and we are excited to listen and learn as we continue on this important journey.
“The Beloved Community is a realistic vision of an achievable society, one in which problems and conflict exist, but are resolved peacefully and without bitterness……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 that we have now, but I 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.”
-Coretta Scott King, quoted in A More Perfect Union: A New Vision for Building the Beloved Community by Adam Russell Taylor.
The Beloved Community Project on Star Island works to live into King’s vision while also living within the mission and vision of Star Island Corporation. Some initiatives of the Beloved Community Project on Star Island include:
- Contextualization of the Tucke Monument, including the creation of outdoor educational panels and workshops.
- Creation of the Beloved Community Guidebook for Conference Leaders, which helps people build their conferences with an eye towards intentional welcoming, diversity, equity and inclusion.
- Ongoing review of Star Island’s internal and external documents and practices with a focus on inclusion, equality and welcoming.
- Working with partner organizations to host the augmented reality app “Homelands: Visions of Abenaki Culture.”
- Creation of the meditation manual: It Is Time Now: Offerings from the Star Island Beloved Community Project.
- Development of the Star Island Conference Calculator to help make costs more transparent.
In 2023, the Beloved Community Project is focused on contextualization of the Smith Monument, intentional opportunities to create a more diverse community, building a partnership with the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire, and growing ways of telling the different stories of the people who have been part of Star Island.
If you have questions or ideas regarding the Beloved Community Project, please contact our Beloved Community Project Manager/Island Minister, Rev. Christana Wille McKnight at cmcknight@starisland.org.