Racial Equity
Forest Hill Church has made a commitment to being intentional about racial equity in all parts of our faith community.
Forest Hill Church celebrates who we are and the progress that we have made on our racial equity journey. At the same time, we recognize that significant work still remains.
We strive to create ways to promote common language and understanding about racism and racial equity. We strive to provide information on how to be anti-racist for people at all levels of experience. We strive to create brave spaces that challenge assumptions and nurture growth. We celebrate who we are We recognize the diversity in how God speaks to people and
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incorporate that into worship. We are examining how we incorporate racial equity into our structure as well as through our ministries. We are helping congregants build skills, strength, and endurance for the racial equity journey, through spiritual formation, anti-racism practices, and racial equity buddies.
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Creating Racial Equity Team
In 2019, an in-depth Racial Equity survey was taken by church members and active participants in the life of the church. As a result of this survey, the Creating Racial Equity team was created to support each of the church’s ministries in implementing the survey team recommendations and in measuring the church’s progress on the recommendations. Creating Racial Equity is comprised of two specific focus groups: the audit team and the ministry/programs team.
Audit Team
The Audit team conducts racial equity audits of specific church processes, such as procurement policies, guiding principles and personnel hiring practices, to identify and address gaps between organizational racial equity goals and actual performance.
Ministry/Program Team
The Ministry/Program Team analyzes the work and mission of each church ministry and program to ensure that their activities and statements welcome and support diversity, equity and inclusion of all people.
Racial Repair and Restoration Task Force
The Racial Repair and Restoration Task Force (from left to right): Jeannine Gury, Quentin Smith, Marina Grant (co-chair), Mark Chupp, Sonji Kenyatta (co-chair) and Danielle Cosgrove.
If not now, when?
If not us, who?
We are inheritors of all the good and bad that made our house (America) what it is today! From the days of discovery (1492) to the genocide of Native Americans; slavery; short-lived Emancipation followed by Jim Crow laws; the recognition of women’s rights; the congressional vote for Civil rights, to the calls of today for repair and equality.
As members of Forest Hill Church, Presbyterian we inherited the past wrongs of this church. We profess that we will strive to become a Matthew 25 church which states, “#9, Blends faith and action to generate a commitment to defeating injustice (not forgetting that injustice can also be found within the Church)”, we will strive to heal our community by making amends for the previous wrongs through steps of Repair.
REPAIR: endorsed by Session on October 26, 2022, a financial contribution to help a Cleveland Heights minority person(s), preferably female, pull themselves out of Education debt in order to obtain the American dream of a good job and the ownership of property. The Ministry of Justice & Mission was assigned to organize an independent task force to expand on the work previously done, develop a program and make recommendations to Session.
Join us on October 8, after church in South Hall to learn more.
Upcoming Events
Racial Equity Buddies and Equity Book Club
Racial Equity Buddies and the Equity Book Club are designed to combat individual and structural racism. Regarding individual racism, equity buddies pair up and agree to meet consistently to confidentially discuss racism and other sensitive equity issues.
Check out our Upcoming 2023-2024 Book Discussions.
Want to be a part of our racial equity initiatives?
If you would like to become involved in the Racial Equity activities, email: racialequitybuddies@fhcpresb.org