$2,092 raised by 17 donors
8% complete
$25,000 Goal
Old City Park’s mission is to provide a recreational space where visitors can connect with the past, inspire the future and celebrate Dallas’ rich diversity. As Dallas’s first and oldest park, the greenspace maintains a collection of historic buildings and furnishings as old as 1840. The park currently utilizes its space to educate and celebrate history, support local Cedars Artist Union artists through affordable studio space, park recreation and relaxation, agricultural development and research projects through East Dallas 4H, as well as serve as a venue for multiple events for adults and families year-round. On December 16-17, 2023, Old City Park will host its Candlelight, a family-friendly holiday festival, that is the longest running holiday event in the State of Texas.
Old City Park and the land on which it sits has a long and rich connection with Dallas history. Site of many firsts, this piece of land became Dallas’s first city park in 1876. At the time, it was simply called City Park. The Cedars, an elegant neighborhood, home of many business and mercantile leaders, grew up around City Park in the 1880s and 1890s. The city’s first zoo was located here and weekly concerts were given in the bandstand similar to the one at the Park today. Browder Springs, which now flows underground, was the first water supply with a wooden water main carrying water to the young city. Turn-of-the-century maps show a large pavilion, fountain, pump house, pond, and greenhouses. The greenhouses were open to the public during the day for touring.
After World War II, many people moved to the suburbs around Dallas and highways were built to get them in to the city for work. Interstate 30 cut the Cedars neighborhood off from downtown, leaving the neighborhood and the park in decline. The future of City Park looked dim until a group of women determined to save a historic plantation house from the wrecking ball offered the park a new role in the culture of Dallas. The ladies who rescued Millermore stored the disassembled pieces in a warehouse, and then called Ray Hubbard, president of the park board. He agreed with their idea to reconstruct the house in City Park, where it became the first of 21 buildings transported here to become a village. When Millermore opened here in 1969 the museum was called Old City Park. In 2022, Old City Park confirmed its commitment to education and recreation by opening its greenspace to the public free of admission, thanks to a generous grant from The Eugene McDermott Foundation.
The mission of Dallas County Heritage Society dba Old City Park Conservancy is to advocate for and provide support to Old City Park so that visitors can connect with the past, inspire the future, and celebrate Dallas's rich diversity in Dallas's first and oldest public park.
Funds given through North Texas Giving Day will be used to support the maintenance of the grounds and historic buildings of Old City Park as well as help underwrite the costs of recreational and educational programming.
Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion Policy
This policy was approved by the Dallas County Heritage Society Executive Board at their meeting on April 11, 2019.
A: STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT
The City of Dallas is made up of people from diverse communities and equity seeking groups defined as ALAANA and LGBTQIA+. Old City Park (OCP) recognizes that the changing nature of the population has implications in terms of delivering and/or providing access to its services, including but not limited to, exhibits, programs and events.
We recognize that barriers to programs exist for members of diverse communities, particularly for equity seeking groups, and we are committed to acting as a positive force in eliminating these barriers.
To achieve this, Old City Park will:
See diversity, inclusion and equity as connected to our mission and critical to ensure the well-being of our staff and the community we serve.
Acknowledge and dismantle any inequities within our policies, systems, programs, exhibits and continually update and report organizational progress.
Advocate for and support board-level thinking about how systemic inequities impact our organization's work and how best to address that in a way that is consistent with our mission.
Commit time and resources to expand more diverse leadership within our board, staff, committees, and advisory bodies.
Lead with respect and tolerance. We expect all employees to embrace this notion and to express it in workplace interactions and through everyday practices.
Old City Park prohibits discrimination or harassment and protects the right to be free from hate activity based on age, ancestry, citizenship, creed (religion), color, disability, ethnic origin, family status, gender identity, level of literacy, marital status, place of origin, membership in a union or staff association, political affiliation, race, receipt of public assistance, sex, sexual orientation or any other personal characteristic by or within the organization.
1 For the purposes of this policy, equity-seeking groups include ALAANA, Aboriginal/First Nations people, women, people with disabilities, racial minorities, the socio-economically disadvantaged, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered persons (LGBTQIA+).
Definitions
From the American Alliance of Museums "Facing Change" report.
Diversity is all the ways that people are different and the same at the individual and group levels. Even when people appear the same, they are different. Organizational diversity requires examining and questioning the makeup of a group to ensure that multiple perspectives are represented.
Equity is the fair and just treatment of all members of a community. Equity requires commitment to strategic priorities, resources, respect, and civility, as well as ongoing action and assessment of progress toward achieving specified goals.
Accessibility is giving equitable access to everyone along the continuum of human ability and experience. Accessibility encompasses the broader meanings of compliance and refers to how organizations make space for the characteristics that each person brings.
Inclusion refers to the intentional, ongoing effort to ensure that diverse individuals fully participate in all aspects of organizational work, including decision-making processes. It also refers to the ways that diverse participants are valued as respected members of an organization and/or community. While a truly "inclusive" group is necessarily diverse, a "diverse" group may or may not be "inclusive."
ALAANA means African, Latinx, Asian, Arab, and Native American. This also includes Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (category as defined by the US Census Bureau).
LGBTQIA+ means Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and other associated communities.
B: POLICY AND ACTIONS ON ANTI-RACISM, ACCESS & EQUITY
Governance
The Dallas County Heritage Society / Old City Park is committed to achieving representation of the diversity of the Dallas community on its Board of Directors by ensuring that it has an equitable and transparent nominations process, that this process is communicated to all members, and that members are committed to outreach beyond the current membership if necessary to achieve this goal.
The Governance Committee utilizes an open and inclusive process for evaluating, recruiting and selecting nominees to the board of directors.
DCHS actively seeks candidates from across the community and encourages people from all equity-seeking groups to consider a position on our board of directors.
A diversity matrix is utilized to help track current board diversity, as well as help identify needs for future board members. This matrix tracks ethnicity, gender, LGBTQ, age, and expertise.
Employment
Old City Park is committed to achieving representation of equity seeking groups on its staff by ensuring that members of equity seeking communities have equitable access to employment. This includes recruitment, selection, staff development, performance evaluation, retention, promotion, termination.
Job postings only include education minimum requirements when relevant to the position.
All job postings list the salary range.
OCP uses standardized employment interviews to ensure all applicants are treated the same. In addition, all interviews are conducted by at least two people.
OCP sets diversity goals when recruiting candidates for employment.
Old City Park is committed to maintaining an environment where all individuals are treated with dignity and respect and are free from all forms of discriminatory treatment, behavior or practice. Discrimination, harassment, violence, and any other form of discriminatory practices will not be tolerated by OCP. Discrimination does not have to be intentional. It can result from practices or policies that appear to be neutral but have a negative effect on groups or individuals based on race, religion, gender, etc.
OCP promotes open, effective communication, as well as clear channels for feedback to all employees.
OCP has established clear written employment policies and guidelines that address penalties for discriminatory treatment or behavior, harassment, and retaliation.
OCP has established a clear process for reporting behaviors that violate these policies.
Services
Old City Park is committed to ensuring that its services and programs are accessible to diverse communities. This involves regular reviews of current outreach, communications, program planning, and exhibits to ensure goals are being met.
OCP cross-promotes our programs with organizations serving diverse communities.
OCP regularly partners with organizations serving a wide variety of audiences.
Permanent exhibits are being reassessed and when necessary, re-interpreted, to better reflect today's diverse Dallas.
In addition, OCP will take into consideration provision of services to disadvantaged individuals, low income persons, families in poverty, and equity seeking communities.
OCP regularly works with neighborhood social service organizations in a variety of ways, including programming. Key partners include Vogel Alcove, Dallas Life and the Stewpot.
OCP works closely with Dallas ISD and other area school districts to provide a cost-effective field trip program. All Title 1 schools receive discounted admission.
OCP regularly hosts community meetings, including crime watch, zoning meetings and town halls.
OCP offers regular free admission opportunities.
Training and Education
Old City Park is committed to ensuring that those involved in the delivery of services and programs have the knowledge, understanding and skills to work with and provide services to members of diverse communities, particularly equity seeking communities.
OCP has provided training opportunities for all personnel to ensure their commitment to recognizing and avoiding conscious and unconscious bias towards any and all persons with whom they have contact whether patron, co-worker, subordinate, superior, board member, visitor, contract personnel, volunteer, intern or others.
OCP has enacted clear antiharassment, antiretaliation, and antidiscrimination policies with specific remedies and consequences for all staff members or volunteers should the policies be violated.
OCP has regular meetings with all staff to discuss interpretation issues, trends in the museum field, and best practices in history education.
OCP will create a Diversity and Inclusion Committee consisting of board members, staff, and volunteers.
Information and Communications
Old City Park is committed to ensuring that all of its communications, including information on its services and programs, are accessible to diverse communities.
Organization name
Old City Park Conservancy
other names
Dallas County Heritage Society
Causes
Parks and Greenspaces
Operating Budget
$1,000,000 - $2,999,999
Counties Served
Dallas
BIPOC Serving
Black or African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latinx, Native American
BIPOC Leadership
Neither/None
Equity Statement
Equity Statement
Address
1515 S HARWOOD STREET