Racial Equity Initiative (REI)

Seeking justice with compassion and understanding.

Living in Justice

Calvary’s Racial Equity Initiative was formed to lead the congregation in recognizing and dismantling racism and unconscious bias in our own hearts and minds, in the institution of the church, and in the broader culture.

What is Racial Equity?

The REI Planning Team has developed the following goals:


  1. Improve and increase communications and publicity about REI and community events.
  2. Continue to learn and educate the community about the history of systemic racism and the skills to dismantle its effects in our church and society, and within ourselves.
  3. Form strong alliances with the SF Black & Jewish Unity Coalition and the Presbytery of SF West Bay Area Antiracism Group.
  4. Explore, educate about, and advocate for reparations for African Americans at the church, local, state, and federal levels.

Upcoming REI Events


Pauli Murray Documentary SUNDAY, JULY 12, 2026 • 11:30 AM LOUNGE • CALVARY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Join us to watch this documentary on the life and work of Pauli Murray (1910-1985) who remains a towering figure in the history of American civil rights, LGBTQ rights, and religious history as the first Black woman ordained as an Episcopal priest. She was also the first Black person to earn a Doctoral of Juridical Science (JSD) from Yale Law School. Murray worked alongside early civil rights organizers such as Bayard Ruston. While studying for her first law degree at Howard University in the early 1940s, she helped organize lunch counter sit-ins in Washington, D.C. to challenge local restaurants’ discriminatory policies. These actions were a predecessor to the more widespread sit-ins during the 1950s and 1960s. The 2021 documentary My name is Pauli Murray brought her life work to a wider audience. Murray is remembered as a legal pioneer and visionary who challenged multiple systems of oppression while advocating for intersectional justice.

Thank you for attending our Q&A with Paul & Tenisha on November 19!


It was an absolutely informative session with one of the couples featured in the documentary Lowballed.
If you haven't had a chance to watch the film yet, please stream it here for free.

Paul and Tenisha had a housing appraisal in Marin City, CA where the appraiser lowballed them by an incredulous amount because they had 'black items' in their house, like food, art, books, clothes, and more. After seeing several red flags on their appraisal, they experimented later on by taking their belongings out of their house and replaced them with 'white items' and their next appraisal was $500,000 higher than the previous one. The documentary highlights a few black and brown families across America that have experienced this part of systemic racism.

We continue to march forward in unity, action, and spirit for justice of the oppressed.

The Lounge filled with people eating lunch and watching the presenter, Jen Gee, talk about how difficult the citizenship test is.

Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Reprove the ruthless,
Defend the orphan,
Plead for the widow.


Isaiah 1:17


REI Blog

Equality vs Equity - 3 People Standing at a Fence, One Side Can't See Over The Fence, The Other Can

Racial Equity Initiative: 2023 Goals

By Racial Equity Initiative Team • June 16, 2023
The REI Planning Team has set our goals for 2023.  We will continue to pursue some of our goals from 2022, but we also added a new goal related to...

One Church, One Read: This is Ear Hustle

By Racial Equity Initiative Team • July 21, 2022
Join the Calvary community in reading a book together this summer!
Book Cover and Author Image -

A Texas Insider’s View of Juneteenth: On Juneteenth

By Racial Equity Initiative Team • June 5, 2022
As we prepare to celebrate Juneteenth, it's important to take the time to learn more about this important holiday.
Show More

Contact Calvary's
REI Team

2515 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, CA 94115


racialequity@calpres.org

REI Contact Us