The primary purpose of the Summit is to discuss race in a comprehensive, collaborative, and compassionate manner designed to build the Beloved Community in West Virginia.

The 2020 Summit on Race Matters in West Virginia is a reboot of a similar event held in 2014. The majority of members of the 2020 Summit Planning Committee also planned the 2014 event, which was supported financially by The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation (TGKVF) and other partners. For the 2020 event, the Summit Planning Committee recommended all featured speakers and panelists. While the Summit seeks to represent various viewpoints, financial constraints and the necessity for virtual delivery have limited the number of viewpoints able to be discussed. All Summit discussions are guided by questions submitted by community members upon registration. The views expressed by Summit speakers and panelists do not necessarily represent the views of TGKVF’s Board of Trustees, donors, or staff. By hosting the Summit, the Foundation is operating in its role as a community convener and facilitating conversations–as it often does–on a variety of topics.