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.
Our 1619 Project Journey
We just completed a multi-year intensive exploration of The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones, by both reading and discussing the book and viewing and discussing the Hulu video presentation. We started as a Woodlands book group and soon realized that we needed to hear other voices, leading us to join with four other groups (Bet Am Shalom Synagogue, Greenburgh Human Rights Advisory Committee, Greenburgh Public Library, and NAACP – White Plains/Greenburgh Chapter) to view and discuss the 6-episode Hulu series at the Greenburgh Library. We look forward to other collaborations with the same partners in the coming year.
Racial Justice Book Group
Our 1619 Project book group has morphed into our Racial Justice Book Group. In May and June 2024, we read and discussed James: A Novel by Percival Everett and The Color of Water by James McBride. Coming up (on Zoom, at 7:30 pm):
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Tue, Sep 24 Blacks and Jews in America – Rebecca Mazin facilitating
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Oct No session
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Tue, Nov 19 The East Indian (need a facilitator)
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Tue, Dec 17 The New Jim Crow – Susan Feder facilitating
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Tue, Jan 21 The Good Lord Bird by James McBride (need a facilitator)
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Tue, Feb 25 Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho – Roberta Roos facilitating
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Tue, Mar 18 Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew by Emmanuel Acho and Noa Tishby (need a facilitator)
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Tue, Apr 22 The Known World by Ed Jones (need a facilitator)
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Tue, May 27 Master Slave Husband Wife by Ilyon Woo (need a facilitator)
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Tue, June 24, TBD
Email rjtf@wct.org for Zoom link.
Advocacy
Woodlands is deeply involved in efforts to combat voter suppression. Click HERE to learn how.