As the Oak Park and River Forest communities continue to move towards equity on many fronts, there are a lot of supporters of the efforts. 

When Melanie McQueen first joined APPLE (African American Parents for Purposeful Leadership in Education) in 2010, the group was the only local organization that she knew of dedicated to fighting for equity.

Our public institutions are working to formulate and implement equity policies. But what about  equity in cultural institutions? Elizabeth Chadri, program director for the Oak Park River Forest Community Foundation, plainly states, "Arts and cultural organizations have the potential to bring about social change and should therefore reflect the diversity of the community. The arts play a significant role in engaging our community, and they need to reflect our community's diversity."

Almost two years ago, Dot Lambshead Roche, an Oak Parker, decided to start talking about racism among her white peers in the community.