Vermont Racial Justice Foundation: Passing of the Board Chair, Reverend Doctor Christopher Von Cockrell.

December 10, 2021

Statement

Chair of the Board of the Vermont Racial Justice Foundation, Reverend Doctor Christopher Von Cockrell passed on Tuesday, 30 November 2021. Reverend Doctor Christopher Von Cockrell chaired the board of the Vermont Racial Justice Foundation from September 2020 until his passing. Prior to this Reverend Von Cockrell served in an advisory capacity often showing up in various community forums and participating on panels. Reverend Von Cockrell preached the message of racial justice in his ministry and framed his stories from the perspective of having grown up in the segregated Jim Crow south and losing his only brother to a racist active shooter in the workplace.

He oversaw the Board at a time of unprecedented expansion of the Racial Justice Alliance which included an unmatched First African Landing Day 2021 Commemoration; massive technology updates, including a web site refresh and huge quantitative and qualitative data expansions; a Statewide Joint Resolution relating to racism as a public health emergency; a health equity enactment; the addition of a public engagement and support apparatus; the establishment of the Richard Kemp Center and much, much more. He last joined us on this Outreach and Education call (1:07:52 – 1:12:14) on the work the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance has undertaken to abolish slavery in Vermont.  

I attended services to honor Reverend Von Cockrell in Meridian on behalf of the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance on December 4, 2021. The time of his Vermont Homecoming Celebration is yet to be announced. Reverend Doctor Christopher Von Cockrell was a great leader and a dear friend. He will be sorely missed but I know that to be separate form the body is to be present with the Lord.

Rev. Mark Hughes
Executive Director,
Vermont Racial Justice Alliance