Racial Equity Team
About
The Racial Equity Team devises plans and strategies to share with the Mount Olivet community and with our neighbors in Arlington and beyond.
Since the formation of this group, we have:
- Researched Mount Olivet’s history to learn more about the church’s role in race relations and school desegregation efforts;
- Created Gifts Celebrating Diversity, a list of Black-owned businesses and culturally diverse and anti-racist books, as a resource for Mount Olivet members interested in supporting anti-racism while shopping;
- Sponsored a four-part Wednesday evening adult study: ”Who is My Neighbor: Conversations about Race,” which was attended by more than 30 people each evening;
- Joined Arlington County as the first church partner in a program called Dialogues on Race and Equity (DRE).
- Begun archiving resources, including historical information and devotional and learning resources that members of Mount Olivet can access and use
Weekly Resources
Every week our team gives you a curated list of books, articles, podcasts, and videos related to racial equity. These resources are sent out in the weekly eNews and can be found in the resource archive here.
Segregated State Fairs
Going to the State Fair is an annual rite for many but it was not necessarily a rite that all could enjoy. Learn about the history of segregated and alternative State Fairs.
Under 10 Minutes
Watch
Honor the legacy of Juanita Craft
Juanita Craft's life-long fight for equality left an impact on Dallas
Listen
The colorful South Carolina State Fair was once black and white. | South Carolina Public Radio
Audio Asset | The "Colored" State Fairs | Walter Edgar's Journal | Knowitall.org
Read
The Colored State Fair — Stories of Struggle
The Segregated Agricultural Fairs (10/3/2025) – The Friday Footnote
‘Why can’t we go?’ A Dallas woman remembers the segregated State Fair of Texas | KERA
A parking lot symbolizes the State Fair of Texas’ racist history
Under One Hour
Take Your Time
Family & Children
Chicago Contract Buyers League
We know that redlining prevented Black would-be homeowners from obtaining conventional mortgages, but that did not necessarily end their dreams of buying a house. In this week's resources learn how unscrupulous people preyed on the fears of White homeowners, convincing them to sell at below-market prices and then reselling immediately to Black buyers at vastly inflated prices using a contract in lieu of a mortgage. The buyers built no equity but had all the obligations of ownership while the seller retained title and could evict the new owners for one missed payment. In the late 1960s the Chicago Contract Buyers League was created to fight back against the inequities of this system.
Under 10 Minutes
Watch
Contract selling: $500 million "legally stolen" from Chicago's African-Americans
The Story of the Contract Buyers League
Read
Tonika Lewis Johnson - National Public Housing Museum
Inside the Contract Buyers League's fight against housing discrimination - The Chicago Reporter
A League of Their Own — Jesuits Magazine
Honoring the Heroes of Housing Justice
Under One Hour
Take Your Time
Family & Children
Disability Awareness Month
July is Disability Awareness Month, also known as Disability Pride Month. Learn more about the Methodist Church's efforts to be more inclusive and ways that foster positive interactions for everyone.
Under 10 Minutes
Under One Hour
Watch
AGP Episode 1 Disabling Theology
AGP Episode 2: Disability, Sin and the Image of God
AGP Episode 3, Part 1 and Part 2: Who Wants to be Healed?
The Accessible God Podcast, Episode 4: The Disabled God
The Accessible God—Episode 5: Sacramental Bodies
AGP Episode 6–Justin Hancock, The Julian Way and Models of Disability
Read
Disability Ministries Committee (collected resources)
