Building Bridges will host Breaking Bread 2025 at the Booker T. Washington Community Center in Staunton on Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m.
The 2025 meeting will focus discussion among neighbors about how decisions made in Washington, D.C., by the Trump administration may affect Americans living in Staunton. Neighbors will discuss possible answers to: What are we losing? Where do we go from here?
Neighbors will be encouraged to share how the community wants to prioritize and as a Commonwealth going forward.
Building Bridges was founded to work toward a vision of “a community of equality, unity and love where everyone can thrive.” The past decade witnessed greater recognition of the need to address the legacies of historic harms and to enact policies that can help create a community in which all can live in dignity, with safety and belonging. Many gains are now threatened and dreams for a better future risk being deferred. We now have a challenge: how best can we, as a community, hold onto our values and continue to make progress?
The meeting will begin with expert speakers including Staunton City Manager Leslie Beauregard, Waynesboro City Schools Assistant Superintendent Dr Ryan Barber, AnhThu Nguyen, Chair of the Staunton DEI Commission, Shonny Kier Cooke, Director of Workforce Programs for Piedmont Community College, and Mary Baldwin University’s Dr. Amy Tillerson Brown.
After the panel of experts speak on budget cuts and policy changes in the federal government, everyone will break into groups for discussion.
2025 is an important election year for Virginia, representatives and individuals who want to be candidates for state office are encouraged to participate as listeners.
Participants in Saturday’s meeting are requested to bring homemade cookies to share if possible. Cleaning supplies will also be collected for the Valley Mission. Building Bridges is collecting Clorox, PineSol, bathroom cleaner, XL latex gloves, Spic & Span, bleach spray, Fantastic and Mr Clean. Donations may be made with products dropped off at Promiseland Church, 850 Maple St, Staunton, or brought on April 26. Monetary donations are also accepted.
The Booker T. Washington Community Center is at 1114 West Johnson St., Staunton.
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Rebecca Barnabi
