Racial Justice Task Force
In the four years since our Racial Justice Task Force was formed, it has been very busy. 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 task force 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.
Racial Justice Book Group
Together we explore the concept of race and its impact on lives through literature, both fiction and non-fiction. We have read and discussed James: A Novel by Percival Everett, The Color of Water by James McBride, and Blacks and Jews in America by Terrence Johnson and Jacques Berlinerblau.
Coming up (all sessions on Zoom, at 7:30 pm):
Tue, Nov 19 The East Indian by Brinda Charry – group generated facilitation
Tue, Dec 17 The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander – Susan Feder facilitating
Tue, Jan 21 The Good Lord Bird by James McBride – Joel Chernoff facilitating
Tue, Feb 25 Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho – Roberta Roos facilitating
Tue, Mar 18 Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew by Emmanuel Acho and Noa Tishby – Roberta Roos facilitating
Tue, Apr 22 The Known World by Ed Jones (need a facilitator)
Tue, May 27 Master Slave Husband Wife by Ilyon Woo (need a facilitator)
Tue, Jun 24 T/B/D
Email rjtf@wct.org for Zoom link.
Our 1619 Project Journey
We recently 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 and other partners in the future.
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.
Advocacy
Woodlands is deeply involved in efforts to combat voter suppression as well as to ensure reproductive justice, both issues of significance in the struggle for racial justice. Click here to learn of our efforts in collaboration with our Civic Engagement Task Force and our Reproductive Justice Task Force.
Leader: Rebecca Mazin, rjtf@wct.org