Racial Justice Committee, held an event called the Racial Wealth Gap Learning Simulation on March 11, 2023. Participants learned a lot of new information that helped them to understand the wide gap in wealth that exists in the United States between people who are white and people of color. This gap is widest between white Americans and African Americans, and is a result of decades of federal policy that provided privileges to white Americans that were not available to black Americans, even after governmental policy shifts that occurred as a result of the civil rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Looking at the picture showing the black vs. white participants' money, land, and lost opportunity cards, it is clear what that wealth gap looks like. 

As a Matthew 25 congregation, we are committed to building congregational vitality, dismantling structural racism and eradicating systemic poverty. Educating ourselves about the racial wealth gap in the United States helps us to do all three of these, as we are becoming more vital with our study, and looking at how we can help to dismantle racism and poverty through supporting governmental policies that will work to shrink the racial wealth gap in the United States. Watch for more information on actions you can take regarding this in the future. We wish to extend a heartfelt thanks to the folks who came out to participate in the learning simulation with us on March 11!