ongoing racial equity work
of the community church
Our Unitarian Universalist faith calls us to work for Racial Equity.
Dismantling racism is the work of our whole congregation, for all ages.
This work requires learning, reflection, and action in the congregation and in the world to build the Beloved Community.
Dismantling racism is the work of our whole congregation, for all ages.
This work requires learning, reflection, and action in the congregation and in the world to build the Beloved Community.
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RACIAL JUSTICE MINISTRY Monthly meetings every second Monday at 5 PM on Zoom (October only will be first Monday - Oct 6th) The Racial Justice Ministry was revived in 2024. The congregation's commitment to racial justice following George Floyd's murder in 2020 remains detailed below. Now in 2025, and in light of the rollback of much diversity, equity and inclusion, we invite others to join us again for education, dialogue, and anti-racism activism in our church and in the community beyond. If you have any questions, please email Sarah Clark-Farnell ( or call 919-225-0256). Fall 2025 events: Thursday, October 9th The Racial Justice Ministry is hosting a DRUUMM Public Worship Watch Party at 7pm in the Gathering Room. DRUUMM is the oldest and largest Black, Indigenous, and People of Color-led organization in our faith. Once a year, DRUUMM offers a public worship service that is open to all. This year's theme is "There Will Be Dancing." There will be snacks and tea! A collection will be held to benefit DRUUMM - Diverse & Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries - https://druumm.org/ For more information, contact Sarah Clark-Farnell. RSVP to join the Party! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday, September 11th at 7pm in the Gathering Room - free and open to all. Join us for a screening and discussion of the documentary American Coup: Wilmington1898, created by PBS North Carolina about the legacy of white supremacy and the importance of preserving democracy. The Racial Justice Ministry and Side With Love invite you to this powerful documentary that tells the story of the only successful coup d’état in U.S. history, when white supremacists in 1898 overthrew Wilmington’s multiracial government, murdered Black residents, and drove thousands from the city. Long buried, this history is now being reclaimed by descendants and scholars. Learn more about the coup, its place in US history, and its lasting impact. Together, we can ensure that the lessons of Wilmington’s past inform conversations around democracy today. Following the film, a facilitated discussion will connect the events of 1898 to ongoing local and national struggles for racial equity and multiracial democracy. Presented in partnership with PBS North Carolina, Working Films, Center for Community Connection (C4CC), and WE ARE (working to extend anti-racism in education). Contact [email protected] for more information. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- On Saturday, September 20th at 1pm, the Community Church of Chapel Hill UU WomenCircle is sponsoring a visit to the Pauli Murray House in Durham (https://www.paulimurraycenter.com/). Contact Terri Brooks at [email protected] for more details. |
more UU Community church efforts from 2020 to present...
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APRIL 5 2025: WOMENCIRCLE sponsors a TOUR OF CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM & UNDERGROUND RAILROAD. On April 5, members of the congregation learned a great deal from a guided tour of The International Civil Rights Center & Museum in Greensboro. The museum occupies the old Woolworth’s store, the legendary site of the nation’s first lunch counter sit-in where student-led protest against racial segregation sparked a national movement of nonviolent action for justice and equality. The tour included the original lunch counter and many exhibits showcasing the continuing history of the American civil rights movement. In the afternoon, the group went to Guilford College for a guided tour of an Underground Railroad trail. The wooded trail was used as a pathway to freedom for people escaping slavery from 1819 to 1852.
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WALK THE WALK
Stagville Plantation Tour 2022
On October 8, 2022, more than a dozen members participated in a tour of Stagville to learn more about the impact of slavery in our area. Walk the Walk is a program for racial justice learning which is local and in person.
Walk the Walk is cosponsored by Spiritual Exploration for Adults (SEA), Side with Love, and Living Our Covenant with Intention.
Stagville Plantation Tour 2022
On October 8, 2022, more than a dozen members participated in a tour of Stagville to learn more about the impact of slavery in our area. Walk the Walk is a program for racial justice learning which is local and in person.
Walk the Walk is cosponsored by Spiritual Exploration for Adults (SEA), Side with Love, and Living Our Covenant with Intention.
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JOURNEY OF RECONCILIATION 2022 COMMUNITY WALK On Sunday, April 10, our church partnered with University Presbyterian Church and the Orange County Community Remembrance Coalition to lead a community walk visiting notable sites from when the Freedom Riders came to Chapel Hill in 1947. Pictured: Rev. Thom Belote telling a portion of the story in front of the Presbyterian Manse. Listen to Rev. Thom's sermon about the Journey of Reconciliation. |
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2022 SPIRITUAL EXPLORATION FOR ADULTS / SIDE WITH LOVE / LIVING OUR COVENANT WITH INTENTION: Northside Soundwalk On March 18, 2022, Thirty members of our congregation learned during the Northside Soundwalk--an audio tour and history of the historic African American neighborhood in Chapel Hill. |
RACIAL EQUITY CHALLENGE 2021:
Continuing the Conversation
Moving from White Supremacy to Racial Equity
through personal and collective resilience
Mondays: Sept 27, Oct 11, 25, Nov 8, 2021, on Zoom from 7-8:15 PM
Our learning and community building continue this fall with four focused conversations spaced every other week. The discussions are open to those who have participated in our previous racial equity challenges and those who have not.
You asked for discussions around focused topics so we can go deeper together. During this series we will learn and talk about how we as individuals and a community can prepare for sustained work on racial equity. Join us as we explore what we need spiritually, socially/communally, and emotionally to continue the unlearning of white supremacy culture and the learnings of racial equity.
As part of the challenge, you will be provided with all new readings, videos, and questions to ponder. We will meet every other week in facilitated small groups on zoom to reflect on and discuss our learnings. Register HERE . Questions? Contact Marion Hirsch.
Continuing the Conversation
Moving from White Supremacy to Racial Equity
through personal and collective resilience
Mondays: Sept 27, Oct 11, 25, Nov 8, 2021, on Zoom from 7-8:15 PM
Our learning and community building continue this fall with four focused conversations spaced every other week. The discussions are open to those who have participated in our previous racial equity challenges and those who have not.
You asked for discussions around focused topics so we can go deeper together. During this series we will learn and talk about how we as individuals and a community can prepare for sustained work on racial equity. Join us as we explore what we need spiritually, socially/communally, and emotionally to continue the unlearning of white supremacy culture and the learnings of racial equity.
As part of the challenge, you will be provided with all new readings, videos, and questions to ponder. We will meet every other week in facilitated small groups on zoom to reflect on and discuss our learnings. Register HERE . Questions? Contact Marion Hirsch.
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2021 RACIAL EQUITY MOVIE DISCUSSIONS We watched a movie/series each month dealing with issues related to racial equity on our own, meeting together on the third Thursday of each month to discuss the movie. March's movie was Just Mercy. We explored the issues that these movies raise in our lives and how they point us in ways to respond. Discussions were led by Kathy Hodges and Baptiste Lefebvre. Information about how to stream the movies can be found here. |
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CAMPUS MINISTRY: Northside Tour On March 30, 2021, six Members of the Campus ministry took the Soundwalk Histories of Home: A Walk with Northside Neighbors, sponsored by Marian Jackson Cheek Center for Community and Justice. |
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Daily Reading and Reflection Group on Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson SEA (Spiritual Exploration for Adults) sponsored a reading and reflection Facebook group on for the book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson. Particpants read 10 pages a day (a chapter), and posted a short reflection daily in a private Facebook group. Each of us took the lead to start the post for each day. The book is terrific and very well written but heavy and deep and helpful to read slowly and in community. February 1 - March 11, 2021. Led by Marion Hirsch. |
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LET'S KEEP TALKING: RACIAL EQUITY CHALLENGE JANUARY-MARCH 2021
This program was aimed to help us deepen our understanding of racism and better work for racial equity in the world. The Challenge is for people who participated in the Challenge in the fall and and want to continue the work, as well as for new participants. It is similar to Fall Challenge and includes readings, videos, activities and small group discussions to reflect on our learning. We met every other week for an hour on Zoom in facilitated small groups (limited to 6 participants each) This is powerful work and more powerful when we work together.
The Let's Keep Talking Challenge Curriculum is based on the 21 Day Challenge curated by Eddie Moore.
Let's Keep Talking Racial Equity Challenge Curriculum
This program was aimed to help us deepen our understanding of racism and better work for racial equity in the world. The Challenge is for people who participated in the Challenge in the fall and and want to continue the work, as well as for new participants. It is similar to Fall Challenge and includes readings, videos, activities and small group discussions to reflect on our learning. We met every other week for an hour on Zoom in facilitated small groups (limited to 6 participants each) This is powerful work and more powerful when we work together.
The Let's Keep Talking Challenge Curriculum is based on the 21 Day Challenge curated by Eddie Moore.
Let's Keep Talking Racial Equity Challenge Curriculum
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2021 RACIAL EQUITY Racial Equity Office Hours are a space where people are encouraged to tackle challenging questions and reflect on their own interactions with race throughout their lives. There will be a few experienced facilitators present to provide topics and guide the discussions in general. The format will be very casual, and people are encouraged to drop in or drop out whenever they get the chance. |
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29-DAY RACIAL EQUITY CHALLENGE 2020 The Spiritual Exploration for Adults (SEA) and Living Our Covenant with Intention (LOCI) Ministry Teams organized a church-wide 29-Day Racial Equity Challenge (Challenge), held September 3 – October 8, 2020. Based on the 21-day Challenge curated by Eddie Moore, our five-session event challenged our community to a daily act (read an article, watch a video, reflect, notice, or act) aimed at helping us, individually and collectively, deepen our understanding of racism and white supremacy. Each week participants engaged individually in common learnings and then gathered over Zoom in facilitated small groups to discuss and share their own experiences and insights. 65 people participated in the Challenge. |
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SIDE WITH LOVE:
Postcard Writing Party On August 18, 2020, Nine volunteers came together to write postcards to voters in partnership with the NAACP and Reclaim the vote. Over 50 members wrote over 2,000 postcards in August! |
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SIDE WITH LOVE, NAACP & RECLAIM THE VOTE: MOBILIZING VOTERS On August 7, 2020, in collaboration with The North Carolina NAACP and Reclaim the Vote, over 46 members and church friends wrote over 2,000 postcards to help mobilize voters in August. |
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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION:
ANTIRACIST PICTURE BOOK CLUB On July 8, 2020, children participated in the first meeting of the Antiracist Picture Book Club - a weekly storytime and small group discussion that centers BIPOC authors and illustrators and features Black and Brown lives and voices. This week, we read Earth Mother (by Ellen Jackson illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon), a beautiful story about our interconnectedness. Next on the reading list is, A is for Activist (written and illustrated by Innosanto Nagara). For more information about the Antiracist Picture Book Club or programming for children and youth, contact Marion Hirsch here. |
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COMING OF AGE: HISTORIC THOUSANDS ON JONES STREET On February 8, 2020, six teens from our church marched in the Historic Thousands on Jones Street demonstration in Raleigh. |
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THE COMMUNITY CHURCH CHOIR: THE CHAPEL HILL-CARRBORO INTERFAITH MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY SERVICE On January 20, 2020, more than 40 members of the Community Church attended this inspirational event at First Baptist Church, including 6th- and 7th-graders in the Neighboring Faiths Class with their families. |
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RACIAL EQUITY INSTITUTE (REI)
The Racial Equity Institute is "an alliance of trainers, organizers, and institutional leaders who have devoted ourselves to the work of creating racially equitable organizations and systems. We help individuals and organizations develop tools to challenge patterns or power and grow equity." The Community Church provided grants for staff and lay leaders to attend REI's "Groundwater Institute" anti-racism training. |
MORE :
Worship/Sermons
Other Social Justice and Concerns Ministries
Sanctuary Ministry
Building the World We Envision
Other Classes
Worship/Sermons
Other Social Justice and Concerns Ministries
Sanctuary Ministry
Building the World We Envision
Other Classes