Racial Justice Task Force

Our Racial Justice Task Force was formed in the spring of 2020 and has been very busy since. We provide opportunities for congregants to learn about racial justice as a Jewish mandate, as well as work for equity, diversity and inclusion within our country, congregation and personal lives. This taskforce is involved in some of the most civically significant programs in our congregation, many of them done in partnership with Woodlands’ Adult Education Committee as well as with other Social Action teams. 

Diversity Training
Woodlands has a strong commitment to diversity. We know that however well-meaning folks may be, they sometimes are not aware of the impact of their words/deeds on others. To make us all better at living our values, we urge congregants to sign up for a REDI (racial equity, diversity, and inclusion) workshop offered by the URJ.

The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones – THE BOOK
Tues, Feb 27, and Tues, Mar 26, 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm, Zoom
Book discussion group sponsored by Racial Justice Task Force and Adult Education Committees. We are approaching the conclusion of our multiyear reading of this controversial book that substantially expands on the award-winning NY Times 1619 Project, which attempts to reframe our understanding of American history by placing slavery and its ongoing legacy at the center of our national narrative. On February 27, we will discuss Chapter 17, Progress and on March 26, we will conclude our journey with Chapter 18, Justice – and decide what comes next. While reading and discussing the book together for all these months helps develop important understandings, each chapter can be read alone and it is not too late to join the group. Sign up HERE.

The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones – THE VIDEO
"Fear", Wed, Feb 14, 6:00 – 8:00 pm (refreshments at 5:45 pm)
We have been meeting monthly at the Greenburgh Public Library for a viewing of an episode of the Hulu series on the 1619 Project, followed by a discussion led by a different pair of Black-identifying and white-identifying facilitators each month. Our goals are to:

• examine the role that slavery played in forming the United States and the role it still plays in determining who we are
• provide us with the opportunities to hear a wide variety of voices and reexamine our ideas in response to those voices
• build community

Watch Episode 5, “Fear,” which explores the cycle of policies, policing practices, and organized violence over the last three centuries of U.S. history in response to a perpetual fear of Black people, Black protest, and Black freedom. This episode investigates the surveillance and control of Black people on both the interpersonal and systemic levels as a legacy of slavery, specifically a lasting legacy of slave patrols and slave codes implemented out of fear that enslaved people would self-emancipate and/or rebel. The video is followed by discussion with Lane Cobb, interfaith minister and anti-racism educator, and Karl Weber, book editor and publisher. Developed by WCT with Bet Am Shalom Synagogue, Greenburgh Human Rights Advisory Committee, Greenburgh Public Library, and NAACP – White Plains/Greenburgh Chapter. Click Here to register. Click Here for details about final episode, "Justice", on March 13. 

Racial Justice Book Read
Wed, Feb 28 and Tues, Mar 5, Zoom
For those going on the Adult Civil Rights Journey, those who have gone, and everyone else. Choose one book from a list of several that expand our understanding of racial justice, read it and discuss it with others who made the same choice.

There are three “books” for you to choose from:

• Just Mercy; a Story of Justice and Redemption – Bryan Stevenson (strongly suggested for Civil Rights Journey participants
• The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store – James McBride (a novel)
• TED Talk: We Need to Talk About an Injustice – Bryan Stevenson

Those who choose to read “Just Mercy” will meet on Zoom to discuss that book on Wednesday, February 28 at 7:30 pm. So that participants in our Civil Rights Journey will have the opportunity to read something in addition to their suggested reading, we will meet on Zoom in groups on Tuesday, March 5 at 7:30 to discuss the other choices.

Generation Growth: Film Presentation and discussion 
Sun, Feb 25, 4:00 pm (zoom)
Where do Racial Justice, Environmental, and Civic Engagement Task Forces Meet? At Woodlands, when Green Bronx Machine founder Stephen Ritz presents his award-winning documentary. Ritz, a globally acclaimed Bronx teacher, created the first edible classroom in the world. He shows how, in one of the nation’s poorest communities, his students thrive in school and life by growing, cooking, eating, and sharing the bounty of their classroom. Register to join on zoom at wct.org/GenerationGrowth.

Greenburgh Restorative Circle Project
We are partnering with the Greenburgh Restorative Circle Project. The purpose of the Circles formed by the project is to:

• provide a safe place for people ton share lived experience and have their voices heard
• develop a deeper understanding of the racial inequities that exist in Greenburgh
• open a path for ongoing racial healing in Greenburgh
• create avenues for respectful dialogue on race and diversity in Greenburgh

Sponsors of this project are Restorative Justice Westchester, Race Talk Revolution, SURJ Westchester, and Westchester Racial Equity Collaborative.

Leaders:  Linda Einfrank and Rebecca Mazin (rjtf@wct.org)