King’s Legacy of Black Jewish Relations Past, Present & Future

Join us for an expansive conversation about the history of Black-Jewish relations in America that underscores the importance of examining the state of that relationship today. Our accomplished panel includes Black and Jewish community leaders with a diverse set of personal and professional experiences serving as stewards of this relationship across both communities.

Registered participants will be invited to view the film “Shared Legacies: The African American-Jewish Civil Rights Alliance,” a documentary chronicling the powerful story of the coalition between Black and Jewish Americans before, during, and after the Civil Rights movement. The link for the film will be available for viewing 48 hours prior to the webinar beginning, Monday, February 21st. The crucial, historical lessons of Black-Jewish cooperation are revisited and revived in this utterly fascinating film that doubles as an urgent call to action. 

Along with the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement, many Jews have taken active, supporting roles the contemporary struggle for racial justice. The work of such allies has, in many ways, extended the impact of Reverend King, Jr. and Rabbi Hershel’s visionary leadership. Yet, strains within the inter-community relationship persist, with the antisemitic and racist biases that linger on the fringes of each community having, at times, complicated ties by permeating more mainstream settings. Join us for a provocative, forward-looking discussion to examine this and related matters, beginning with the following questions: what will it take for the two communities to overcome these divides, and for the cooperation to overcome the conflict, what does Black-Jewish partnership in the Age of Black Lives Matter look like, how do voices of compassion and mutual respect rise above the prevailing din of acrimony, misunderstanding and distrust and what will the relationship look like in the future?