This program is recommended for individuals and/or groups aged 15 and older who are interested in understanding history through the lens of justice.

Examples of groups include churches, organizations, youth groups, schools, intentional communities, or groups of friends.

Program participants don’t have to live in Louisville. Though Louisville, KY is the setting for the program, the themes, ideas, and questions are relevant to people and groups throughout the United States.

Themes include:

• indigenous roots

• slavery, education, and studying history from multiple perspectives

• racial segregation, past and present

• civil rights era protests

• creating hospitality and building community across cultures

• intersectional justice work

• the justice system, 2020 protests

• seeing all people and your city “shining like the sun”

You don’t have to live in Louisville or have any relationship to Louisville to for this program to be relevant to your context.

Louisville is the setting for the videos. However, the themes, ideas, and questions are relevant to people and groups throughout the United States. Themes include:

• indigenous foundations

• slavery and studying history from multiple perspectives

• racial segregation, past and present

• civil rights era protests

• creating hospitality and building community across cultures

• intersectional justice work

• the justice system, 2020 protests

• seeing all people and your city “shining like the sun”

Whether Louisville is your home or not, the hope is that learning some of Louisville’s stories will inspire you to learn more and to discern responsive steps with care, grounding, and intention.

The program was originally created for CrossRoads Ministry, a Christian organization, and the title comes from a Bible verse (Jeremiah 29:7). The program has references to religion, faith, and spirituality.

That said, the program has been used both in Christian contexts and broader contexts.

The journey takes participants, via video, to sites in Louisville, KY with the invitation to see each place with fresh perspective. Virtual visits and themes include:

• Founders Square across from the Cathedral of the Assumption - indigenous inhabitants prior to colonization

• Roots 101: African American Museum - slavery and studying history from multiple perspectives

• The 9th Street Divide - racial segregation, past and present

• The old Quinn Chapel - civil rights era protests, nonviolence

• Casa Latina Catholic Worker - creating hospitality and building community across cultures

• Carl Braden Memorial Center - Anne and Carl Braden, intersectional justice work

• Jefferson Square Park - 2020 protests, the justice system

• Merton Square - seeing all people and your city “shining like the sun”

In order to make the program accessible, this program is offered on a wide sliding scale, from $65 to $200.

When deciding your contribution level, please consider paying a higher amount if you…

• own your home

• have investments, retirement accounts, or inherited money

• travel recreationally and spend money or recreational items easily and often

• have access to family money and resources in times of need

• work part time or are unemployed by choice

• have a relatively high degree of earning power due to level of education or another reason. Even if you are not currently exercising your earning power, I ask you to recognize that as a choice.

Please consider paying a lower amount if you…

• are supporting children or have other dependents

• have significant debt

• have medical expenses not covered by insurance

• receive public assistance

• are an unpaid community organizer

• are an elder with limited financial support

• are part of a group that typically holds less systemic power (from the Global Majority, LGBTQ+, disabled, etc.)

Want to know more about Cory’s philosophy on money and contribution? Click here.

In order to make the program accessible for schools, churches, organizations, and groups of varying sizes and budgets, the Seeking the Shalom of the City program package is offered for a 1-year license to use the materials. This license is for groups without a profit motive offering the program at no cost or very low cost to participants*.

The cost for the 1-year license for the program is $250. This includes all program materials. If this cost is prohibitively high, please note that in the inquiry form. The goal is to make the program accessible.

*If you are planning to charge participants for the program, permissions, restrictions, and costs may be different.

Self-facilitating groups are not led by Cory. The program includes all materials a facilitator will need to guide the experience, including:

• access to all videos and materials through a Google Drive folder

• PDFs of facilitator guides

• PDFs of participant journals

Facilitator guides include:

• a 6-session program and session timelines for 1.5-hour or 2-hour sessions

• a weekend retreat program timeline

• prayers/reflections

• framing and additional material about the places and topics

• questions and guidance for discussions

Cory cannot guarantee immediate technical and other support, but will be able to offer limited support for trouble-shooting and answering questions.

Fill out this form when you are ready to purchase the program.

Cory will send you the license for use for you to sign and an invoice for the program materials.

Once Cory has received both the signed agreement and payment, you’ll receive access to all program materials.

Initial release of materials will be at the end of April 2022 even if you complete program purchase prior to that date.

When you purchase the materials for self-facilitation, you’re purchasing a license to use the materials for one year.

Facilitation materials outline two different formats for use: as a 6-session program and as a weekend retreat.

That said, the program was originally designed to offer flexibility, so each of the eight (8) video segments and corresponding facilitator materials can be used as stand-alone sessions and times can be modified from the outline suggestions.

While you may choose not to use all segments of the virtual journey, in order to be impactful, it’s recommended that you use at least half (4) of the videos and their corresponding facilitator guides, plus the opening and closing sessions, with a group.

Seeking the Shalom of the City will be updated from year to year, including adding new segments to the program. In order to obtain the updated materials, a group will need to register for a new license for use.

The cost will vary according to the size, needs, and timeline of your group.

Please fill out this form with your information. Cory will follow up with you to discuss what is possible.

Cory Lockhart is a teacher, artist, writer, public speaker, and peacemaker. She facilitates classes and workshops for teens and adults on living and communicating with compassion and speaks to groups about the experiences and ideas that have shaped her. She believes in the fundamental dignity of every person and the interconnectedness of all Creation, including people.

Involved in social justice issues since she was young, she deepened and expanded her nonviolence and anti-racism work when she joined Community Peacemaker Teams (at the time called Christian Peacemaker Teams) in 2013. She believes both nonviolence and anti-racism are practices, and anticipates deepening her knowledge and skills for the rest of her life.

Because of her teaching background, her program-writing background with JustFaith Ministries, and her activist experience, she was hired in 2020 to write a program for CrossRoads Ministry that focused on social justice issues, particularly racial justice, in Louisville. The process was educational, enlightening, humbling, and inspiring.

Unfortunately, CrossRoads Ministry closed permanently in October 2021. When that happened, the board returned Seeking the Shalom of the City to Cory to tend to and share.