Years later, there's still no one better to introduce RCND
than our late Board President, Effie Steele.
Effie's fierce love and leadership embodied the essence of RCND,
and still guide us today.
than our late Board President, Effie Steele.
Effie's fierce love and leadership embodied the essence of RCND,
and still guide us today.
Our History
Religious Coalition for a Nonviolent Durham was founded in 1992 by Mr. Leslie Dunbar and Reverend Mel Williams during a time of rising gun violence in Durham.
We are an interfaith and interracial organization. Our purpose and success depend on inclusiveness.
We are an interfaith and interracial organization. Our purpose and success depend on inclusiveness.
Our Mission
We persist in our mission to prevent and rectify the injustice of violence that segregates our city and diminishes our humanity.
We invite people of faith and goodwill to come alongside those most affected by violence in Durham.
We invite people of faith and goodwill to come alongside those most affected by violence in Durham.
Our Circle of Practice
As illustrated in the downloadable flyer above, our Circle of Practice is an ever-evolving, 30+ year journey into our essential values and boundless belonging.
Our Circle of Practice is composed of:
Our Circle of Practice is composed of:
- Vigil Ministry among surviving loved ones of homicide victims,
- Reentry and Reconciliation support for people returning from incarceration,
- Monthly Community Luncheon Roundtables,
- and Restorative Justice practices that repair the harms caused by wrongdoing.
Our Leadership
As shown in the downloadable flyer above, the Coalition is guided by collaborative circles of leaders and supported by five part-time staff. We are shepherded by a Board of Directors.
Our circles of leadership strive to embody effective peacemaking through the sharing of imagination, resources, and respect.
Our circles of leadership strive to embody effective peacemaking through the sharing of imagination, resources, and respect.
Community Support
We are grateful for the generosity and support of local individuals, congregations, and organizations, including but not limited to: Durham Congregations In Action, Parents of Murdered Children, Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership Program “Doing Good In the Neighborhood,” Triangle United Way, AJ Fletcher Foundation, Delta Foundation, NC Conference of the United Methodist Church, United Church of Christ Peace & Witness Committee, Durham County, and The City of Durham.
Budget and Resources
The coalition’s 2023 budget was $210,000. In 2023 we received the majority of our income from individuals living in Durham. All RCND activities and practices are open to all and provided at no charge.
We help with emergency needs that have included assistance with groceries, bus passes to jobs and schools, diapers and household items, prescription drug co-pays, subsidies for water, gas, and electrical deposits and bills, fees for replacing public documents, rent deposits, automobile parts and repairs, gasoline cards for families to travel to hospital, prayer vigil, or trial, clothing, cell phone service for job seekers, funeral urns, burial markers, and materials about traumatic grief. Coalition partners also donated vehicles, mattresses & box springs, and computers for our community partners.
The coalition also co-sponsors a clothing closet with Durham Justice Services for our neighbors on probation or returning from jail or prison and their families.
The Religious Coalition for a Nonviolent Durham (RCND) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
We help with emergency needs that have included assistance with groceries, bus passes to jobs and schools, diapers and household items, prescription drug co-pays, subsidies for water, gas, and electrical deposits and bills, fees for replacing public documents, rent deposits, automobile parts and repairs, gasoline cards for families to travel to hospital, prayer vigil, or trial, clothing, cell phone service for job seekers, funeral urns, burial markers, and materials about traumatic grief. Coalition partners also donated vehicles, mattresses & box springs, and computers for our community partners.
The coalition also co-sponsors a clothing closet with Durham Justice Services for our neighbors on probation or returning from jail or prison and their families.
The Religious Coalition for a Nonviolent Durham (RCND) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
Land Acknowledgement
We respectfully acknowledge that RCND gathers on the ancestral, unceded land of the Eno, Tutelo, Saponi, Occaneechi, and Shakori native people.
This area is not far from the Great Trading Path used by native people (and non-native people during the early years of contact). The Saponi people, whose descendants include the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation Indian Tribe, still thrive and live in this region. They are officially recognized by the state government of North Carolina.
The Occaneechi People (The Ye’sah) ask that we keep these thoughts in mind while on their ancestral lands. They ask us to respect their elders and treat this land with the respect, love, and care that their Ancestors did, and as the Occaneechi Saponi people do today.
More information from the Occaneechi band of the Saponi nation is here. Their suggestions for land acknowledgment, which we have gratefully utilized, are here.
This area is not far from the Great Trading Path used by native people (and non-native people during the early years of contact). The Saponi people, whose descendants include the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation Indian Tribe, still thrive and live in this region. They are officially recognized by the state government of North Carolina.
The Occaneechi People (The Ye’sah) ask that we keep these thoughts in mind while on their ancestral lands. They ask us to respect their elders and treat this land with the respect, love, and care that their Ancestors did, and as the Occaneechi Saponi people do today.
More information from the Occaneechi band of the Saponi nation is here. Their suggestions for land acknowledgment, which we have gratefully utilized, are here.