Breaking Bread - Session Two: A Night with the Judge / July 21st, 2026

Breaking Bread - Session Two: A Night of Reconciliation and Beloved Community Initiative

Featuring: Judge Pauline Hankins
District Court Judge in North Carolina’s 15th Judicial District

Judge Pauline Hankins is a North Carolina District Court Judge serving Brunswick, Bladen, and Columbus counties. A longtime advocate for restorative justice and youth-centered community care, she leads efforts connected to Safe Babies Court, an innovative program supporting children and families impacted by trauma.

Judge Hankins’ work is deeply connected to place and history; she now presides on land where her ancestors were once enslaved and later established roots of their own. Her story embodies resilience, reconciliation, and the continuing work of building beloved community through justice, compassion, and fellowship.

Date: July 21, 2026
Time: 5:30–8:30 PM
Location: Anderson Arts Center

Click Here to Register (EVENTBRIGHT)

The beloved community is not just an idea.
It is something we build. Together.

It takes work.
It takes trust.
It takes empathy.

And sometimes, it starts with something simple.
A table.
A meal.
A conversation.

Breaking Bread is an invitation to come together across stories, experiences, and backgrounds to share food and sit in conversation with one another. Not to debate. Not to perform. But to listen. To learn. To see one another more clearly.

We believe that when people sit side by side, something shifts. Walls soften. Stories emerge. Humanity becomes harder to ignore.

This gathering will bring members of our community to shared tables, where each group contributes food and something of themselves. What you bring is not just a dish. It is a reflection of your story, your culture, your home.

The evening will center on:

• Shared meals around the table

• Guided and organic conversation

• Listening across differences

• Building trust through presence

• Learning from a community voice who has modeled what it means to create space for other

This is not a program to attend.
It is a space to enter.

A space where:
We listen more than we speak
We seek understanding over agreement
We honor both what connects us and what makes us different

Because building the beloved community does not happen from a distance.
It happens when we choose to sit down together.

Pull up a chair.