African-American /Jewish Mission Service Project

he African American/Jewish Mission includes a service project as a culminating event. We connected with Urban Ministries, located in the Western section of Birmingham. They have a housing initiative that help people to spruce up their homes.

Learn more about Urban Ministries:





We met a wonderful woman who resided in what used to be Roosevelt City.







Some members of the group painted

African-American /Jewish Mission Civil Rights Trail

The African-American Jewish Mission toured part of the Civil Rights Trail by crossing the Edmond Pettus Bridge, visiting the Lowndes County Interpretive Center, and Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. Everyone was moved and inspired by crossing the bridge.

The group also had the opportunity to hear presentations by staff at the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Equal Justice Initiative. A few participants were particularly impressed by the SPLC's intelligence arm. Though I wasn't present, I understand from a few people that the group reacted to some of the issues that represent modern-day injustices. They ended the evening with a meal at the Fish Market Restaurant in Birmingham.

Rabbi Steve and Pastor Keni's prepared us for this historic journey over the bridge.

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.

The African-American/Jewish Mission: Setting the Tone

After a tour of Vulcan Park and dinner, members of the African-American/Jewish Mission congregated to establish the tone for the rest of the week. The mayor gave an historical perspective of Birmingham under Jim Crow, examples of passive resistance that included the help of a Jewish merchant in the Titusville neighborhood. The leader of the local Jewish Federation introduced representatives and gave participants an opportunity to share thoughts, questions and ideas.

One of the participants began the discussion with a scenario that is familiar to many of us. We literally and figuratively have a situation where communities live on opposite sides of the track. It gave Birminghamians an opportunity to talk about initiatives that have been in place for several years. We discussed decades of programs to address issues of race, religion and life circumstances. It was a great opportunity to introduce many successful initiatives.

As we showcased our Birmingham success stories, participants wanted to know more about cultivating personal and institutional relationships across cultures. I had forgotten how deeply these organizations impacted me. My emotions began to take over so the details of everyone's comments are a bit fuzzy. The fact that I have maintained many of the cross-cultural relationships that were facilitated through these programs began to overwhelm me. Hopefully, participants will comment on this post. So how did people in a divided community begin to build relationships across cultures?

Some comments from the group included:

1) A shared history of struggle connects the community across racial, religious, social and cultural lines. The comment originally related to the Civil Rights Movement, but as we were leaving, a participant added an interesting comment that African-Americans and Jews also have a history of slavery.
2) The community has faith-based institutions who have a social justice mission to address social issues faced by different religious communities. They are willing to share resources, both human and financial.
3) There are people who are willing to take risks.
4) Some of the aspects of southern culture and community lend itself to this type of work.
5) A participant shared the realization that the next generation can perpetuate or change our past. They have begun the work of eradicating racial divisions on their own terms.

Some group members also identified challenges:

1) Intragroup issues that prevent the work from being done.
2) Unwilling partners across community lines.
3) The realization that some factors of the past have not faded.
4) The perception of a paternalistic agenda and people attempting to change communities without buyin from the local community.
5) Keeping the dialogue going.

I look forward to tomorrow's visit to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. There is a gallery that chronicles the impact of the Movement on people around the world. Perhaps it will deepen the dialogue. I also look forward to hearing success stories from other parts of the country.

Please check out A Rabbi and A Pastor Go to Birmingham for additional perspectives on the trip.

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.