African-American /Jewish Mission: BCRI Visit

Day One of the African-American/Jewish Mission started at a cherished Birmingham institution--the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Participants toured the exhibits and were treated to presentations by Birmingham residents. A story that many of the participants had only read about came alive through exhibits and first-hand accounts.

Michele Forman and Helen Shores Lee shared how their experiences growing up in Birmingham led them to careers that helped future generations have a broader experience. Michele was a producer on Spike Lee's Four Little Girls. She was inspired by Spike Lee's ability to tell stories of importance to through film. I happened to watch Do the Right Thing this past week. It is a film that is on the syllabus of most film schools.

The Honorable Helen Shores Lee shared how her father's work as a Civil Rights attorney eventually led her to law school. Through the law, she could seek justice and channel her energies. Through the law, she found a means of addressing injustices that left her powerless as a child.

Sal Kimerling outlined the role of the Jewish community during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Through legal advocacy, financial contributions, and an unyielding commitment to social justice, individuals and congregations were fully engaged in the Movement.

2010 African-American and Jewish Mission

On Sunday, June 20, 2010, Birmingham will host African-American and Jewish community leaders from across the country. The Jewish Council on Public Affairs has selected Birmingham as the 2010 site of an annual mission. The Mission is twofold: 1) To strengthen ties between African-American and Jewish leaders and 2) To address systemic poverty. A large portion of the Mission will include visits to popular civil rights and social justice institutions. They will visit places such as the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, the Lowndes County Interpretive Center, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. Their visit will culminate with visits to local community projects.

Components of the Mission reflect Gordon Allport's "Contact Hypothesis." The "Contact Hypothesis" is one of the most successful means of reducing prejudice or encouraging collaboration among people of different races, ethnic groups or religions. It is often much more sustainable than training or short-term dialogue groups. The contact hypothesis consists of the following components: 1) Pairing individuals from different cultures who are as similar as possible in every other way such as job function, position in the community, socio-economic status...). 2) Set goals and engage in an activity to achieve the goals. 3) Hold participants accountable for their activities. The movie Remember the Titans exemplifies this concept. Denzel Washington was faced with uniting two football teams from schools that had been desegregated. He matched team members by position and required that they get to know each other and work to maintain the winning traditions of both teams. If they did not carry out his requests, they were punished.

The 2010 African-American/Jewish Mission pairs individuals from two different cultures who represent their communities. The entire group will travel, dialogue and work together over a three-day period. In addition to visiting civil rights related institutions, they will hear presentations from local social justice organizations. A representative from Center for Faith-Based Initiatives and Neighborhood Partnerships will also make a presentation. The group will visit an inner city community and help refurbish a home for a family in need. They will spend time reflecting on the experience and strategize for future initiatives.

Though this post was written in the third person, I have the honor of being one of the representatives from Birmingham. Future posts will probably shift from two points of view--observer and participant. I am looking forward to seeing Alabama from the eyes of others and learning something new about the state that has been home to the last five generations of the majority of my maternal and paternal families.