Our Vision:

To foster understanding among people from different faiths and worldviews.

Our Mission:

To establish a safe table supported by friendship and trust where candid dialogue and understanding among people from different faith traditions and life experiences help them find ways to live with differences.

Our Inspiration:

The Buxton Initiative draws its inspiration from the life and deeds of Thomas Fowell Buxton, a 19th century reformer and member of the British Parliament. He, along with his older colleague William Wilberforce, literally changed his nation. By combining vision and powerful ideas with influential networks, they were able to effectively tackle seemingly insurmountable problems. For decades they labored tirelessly on matters such as the abolition of slavery and the abuse of children in factories. Their sound moral philosophy combined with practical organizational skills yielded real results, changing the lot of millions of victimized people. It is in this tradition that the Buxton Initiative seeks to pioneer practical means to encourage dialogue and collaboration aimed at engendering hope and real change. Our intention is to test unique models that will serve to inspire replication. The strategies deployed to address the daunting problems of our modern global world must be bold, targeted and flexible.

Our Beginning:

Dr. Akbar Ahmed, a Muslim, and J. Douglas Holladay, a Christian, met shortly after September 11, 2001, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. In a climate of growing suspicions and hostility, each was in search of a "soul mate" with whom to explore a way to avoid what Harvard's Samuel Huntington saw as the inevitable clash of civilizations. While both enjoy politics, they prize faith much more. Thus began their unusual journey together. They decided to meet regularly to better understand each other’s faith traditions and the effects of those traditions on belief and behavior. As the trust, understanding and respect grew, they expanded their regular conversation to include others similarly inclined—ambassadors, CEOs, policy makers, senators and members of the media and the armed forces.

Our Programs:

• The Buxton Dialogue regularly brings together leaders of the Christian, Muslim and Jewish communities for the purpose of discussion and dialogue. The model created by the Buxton Dialogue is built on an atmosphere of trust among the participants. The goal is to promote education, tolerance and understanding among the monotheistic, Abrahamic faiths.
• The Intern Program funded by the Initiative brings together one intern from the Christian faith and one intern from the Muslim faith on a year-round basis. We are currently on our third class of interns.
• The Buxton Young Leaders Program gathers young people of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths around a safe table where we can be open and honest with one another in order to build a deeper understanding of who we are and what we believe.
• The Buxton Readings are published and distributed for educational purposes. Readings primarily explore models of reconciliation and understanding among people of different worldviews.