JCPA African-American Mission: Final Thoughts

I had the pleasure of representing Birmingham and the JCRC along with Joyce Spielberger this week to the JCPA African-American and Jewish Mission. Several people from across the country visited Birmingham to learn more about our social justice and civil rights initiatives. They came in twos--one Jewish, one African-American. Each came with the desire to learn from each other and to come away with ideas for their communities.

After seeing some local organizations on display, I was REALLY proud of Birmingham and of Alabama. We have had to work uphill from a bloody past. I think we have done a great job. Of course there is more work to do. Some of the initiatives that have helped Birmingham progress no longer exist or they are struggling to hold on. We need to fund Anytown, AL and the Heritage panels. We need to make sure Youth Leadership Forum and Leadership Birmingham are secure. Because of de facto segregation and socio-economic disparities, we have to orchestrate contact. It won’t happen on its own.

The group came away with the power of relationship building and how well our community seems to do that. We have many organizations that cross social and religious lines. Others were struck by the racist past and how it still haunts us in the present. Although I sometimes get overwhelmed by the fact that we always talk about the past, if we didn’t, we would be in denial. Denial is a dangerous state of mind. In Alabama, racism is thrown in your face all the time. In many states, it is hidden. Issues erupt and no one knows how to deal with them. We have had several organizations in place for years to address racism and religious intolerance.

I have enjoyed the opportunity to share this work with members of the Jewish community for over 20 years. I hope we continue to build on what we have started. Keep up the good work Birmingham.