A James River For All

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice

Since JRA’s founding in 1976, we’ve seen the power of positive change when people come together for a shared vision. Collectively, we’ve helped the James River transform from one of the most polluted rivers in the country to one of its most improved. We’ve also seen the James evolve from a dividing line in our communities to a positive force that brings us together.

JRA’s vision is to achieve a fully healthy James River valued by all communities in the watershed. But not everyone has been able to enjoy the James or experience the benefits of a healthy river. Realizing our vision means doing our part to provide clean water and access to the river for all. 

To do that, we are taking deliberate and sustained action to ensure JRA’s people, programs, and partnerships reach and engage communities all throughout the watershed.

Together, we can work to secure a brighter future, so that every member of our community, and our River, can thrive.

Expanding access to the river and building a broader river community has been part of our work for decades. However, to make meaningful change, it must be integrated into all of our work. We are working to achieve this by focusing on three key areas of work.

People: In order to effectively engage all parts of the community, we need to ensure that JRA’s staff and board reflect the surrounding community, and create a work environment that allows everyone to thrive. We encourage you to visit our Employment page for opportunities to join our team.

Partnerships: We seek to engage a wide-range of stakeholders to inform and guide JRA’s work and pursue shared goals. We believe we can go further together.

Programs: We want to make our programming available to communities all throughout the watershed, regardless of their familiarity with the James River.