TAE Racial Education

At TAE, or motto is Learn, Grow and Connect and we take pride in our efforts to reach out to our community and make the world a better place.

As 2020 brought more senseless deaths and the protests began, Temple Adat Elohim moved forward to learn.

Learning resources:

READ

  • Books
    • Ain’t I a Woman—Bell Hooks
    • Bad Feminist—Roxane Gay
    • Between the World and Me—Ta-Nehisi Coates
    • Black Anti-Semitism and Jewish Racism – James Baldwin [and others]
    • Black White and Jewish—Rebecca Walker
    • How Jews Became White Folks and What That Says About Race in America—Karen Brodkin
    • How to Be An Antiracist—Ibram X. Kendi
  • Articles (can be found online)
    • After Pittsburgh, is anyone considering Jews of Color? – Ilana Kaufman
    • Bagels, Lox, and Grits: Defining My Jewish Identity – Yolanda Savage-Narva
    • Black, Jewish And Avoiding The Synagogue On The High Holy Days – Leah Donnella
       – April Baskin
    • Explaining White Privilege to a Broke White Person – Gina Crosley-Corcoran
    • Finding My Jewish Soul: A Black Army Veteran’s Journey to Judaism – Bryant Heinzelman
    • I Am Always All Parts of My Identity- Identity-and I Hope You Are, Too – Everlyn A. Hunter
    • Privileged—Kyle Korver
    • The Gay, Black Civil Rights Hero Opposed to Affirmative Action – Coleman Hughes
    • What Does it Mean to ‘Code Switch’ in Jewish Spaces? – Chris Harrison
    • What I Said When My White Friend Asked for My Black Opinion on White Privilege – Lori Lakin Hutcherson
    • White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack – Peggy McIntosh
    • Why I Refuse to Avoid White People – Chloe Valdary
    • Ilana Kaufman: black, Jewish and challenging ideas about the face of federation—Rebecca Spence
      • A Guide to Talking to Your White Jewish Family About Anti-Black Racism
      • Who Counts? Race and the Jewish Future
      • Mixed Multitude: On Judaism and Racial Justice
      • I Helped Coin the Term ‘Jews of Color.’ It’s Time for a History Lesson
      • My Jewish Learning: Blacks and Jews Entangled
      • My Jewish Learning: Jews in the Civil Rights Movement
      • Jewish Multiracial Network: Privilege Checklist
      • The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah Explains our Social Contract
      • Glossary of Bias Terms
      • Racial Equity Tools Glossary
      • Definitions of Race
      • Definitions of Racism
      • White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack (Peggy McIntosh)
      • What Is White Privilege, Really?
      • How Monique Melton Is Helping You Be An Anti-Racist
      • The New York Times: The 1619 Project
      • ADL: George Floyd, Racism and Law Enforcement
  • Short Clips/Videos
    • 5 Tips for Being a Proactive Ally – by Franchesca Ramsey
    • How to Overcome our Biases: Walk Boldly Towards Them – TED talk by Vernā Myers, 2014
    • How to Tell Someone They Sound Racist – by Jay Smooth
    • Let’s Get to the Root of Racial Injustice—TED talkby Megan Ming Francis, 2016
    • Practical Diversity: Taking Inclusionfrom Theory to Practice—TED talk byDr. Dawn Bennett-Alexander, 2015
    • What is Systemic Racism? (Video Series)by Race Forward
  • Resources for Parents Educating Their Children
    • 10 Tips for Teaching and Talking to Kids about Race
    • 100 Race-Conscious Things You Can Say to Your Child to Advance Racial Justice
    • 31 Children’s Books to Support Conversations on Race, Racism, and Resistance
    • A Jewish Anti-Racist Reading List for Children of All Ages
    • Al Jolson “Mammy” – a discussion on blackface https://www.history.com/news/blackface-history-racism-origins https://exhibits.lib.usf.edu/exhibits/show/minstrelsy/jimcrow-to-jolson/al-jolson
    • Article from the Smithsonian about Jefferson. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-dark-side-of-thomas-jefferson-35976004/
    • Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben’s – a discussion on stereotypes https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/17/obituaries/nancy-green-aunt-jemima-overlooked.html
    • Best Moments from CNN and Sesame Street’s Town Hall on Racism for Kids and Parents
    • Beyond the Golden Rule: A Parent’s Guide to Preventing and Responding to Prejudice
    • Definitions of Racism
    • Embrace Race Check out their website and social media for a wealth of resources and community discussion aimed at helping parents “raise kids who are thoughtful, informed, and brave about race.”
    • Full lesson with videos and PDF sheets on how to talk about race from the National Museum on African American History and Culture and the Smithsonian. https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/topics/social-identities-and-systems-oppression
    • George Floyd. Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. What Do We Tell Our Children?
    • How to Help Combat the “Perpetual Stranger Status” of Jews of Color We also recognize that not all of our families are raising white-presenting children. The Union for Reform Judaism shares resources on upholding inclusivity in our Jewish community. A great place to start is with this article addressing Jews of Color as “perpetual strangers” in our community.
    • How to Talk to Kids about Racism Iconic Black Jewish Writer Julius Lester Should Be on Every Parent’s Radar Jewish Perspectives on Racial Justice Links for books and discussion for all ages https://pjlibrary.org/beyond-books/pjblog/june-2020/resources-for-talking-to-kids-about-racism
    • Mickey Mouse origin – a discussion on minstrel stereotypes https://scalar.usc.edu/works/birthofanindustry/animation
    • National Museum of African American History and Culture: Talking About Race
    • NPR Interview on How White Parents Can Talk About Race There is a lot of information circulating about how we can move forward and raise more aware children in our current climate. In this NPR conversation, Michel Martin talks with author Jennifer Harvey about how to begin the conversation with white kids about the racially-charged events occurring in our world. This 7-minute conversation can serve as a springboard for further reading, as well as an introduction to her book as a whole.
    • Picture Books that Teach Kids to Combat Racism Race and Ethnicity – What’s the Difference?
    • Reading list for young children https://www.kveller.com/a-jewish-anti-racist-reading-list-for-children-of-all-ages/
    • Repair the World: Racial Justice Service Learning
    • Resource page from the California Teachers Association (CTA). Look particularly at the sections on Important Reads and Resources and Language Matters: Racial Justice Glossary https://www.cta.org/our-advocacy/social-justice/black-lives-matter
    • Sesame Street: Lupita Nyong’o Loves Her Skin
    • Talking to Kids about #blacklivesmatter
    • Teaching Tolerance: Race and Ethnicity
    • The Conscious Kid: Parenting and Education through a Critical Race Lens An education, research, and policy organization dedicated to reducing bias and promoting positive identity development in youth. Follow on social media or sign up to receive more resources.
    • They’re Not Too Young to Talk About Race This chart displays some of the ways children are aware of race from an early age and provides resources for learning how to have conversations with children about race, diversity, and justice.
    • URJ Statement: Witnessing Protests, Rage, and Our Torah’s Unbending Demand for Justice
    • Watch with Your Elementary-Aged Kids: Coming Together: Standing Up to Racism, a town hall for kids and families hosted by CNN and Sesame Street
    • YouTube: A Kids Book About Racism by Jelani Memory
    • YouTube: Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester
    • YouTube: The Atlantic: How to Talk to Kids about Race
  • Read with Your Elementary-Aged Kids:
    • Kids Book About Racism by Jelani Memory A clear explanation of what racism is and how to know when you see it
    • The Story Of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles – A moving picture book about a little girl’s calm perseverance, courage, and hope in the ugly face of hate and racism
    • Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester – The author’s own story exploring what makes each of us special, emphasizing that race is just one of many facets of a person
    • Desmond and the Very Mean Word by Desmond Tutu – Based on Desmond Tutu’s childhood experiences, this book is a touching story about compassion and forgiveness.
    • Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman – An engaging story about challenging gender and racial stereotypes
    • Skin Again by Bell Hooks – This award-winning book, with its myriad of faces, introduces a strong message of loving yourself and others that will appeal to parents of our youngest readers.
  • Read with Your Middle School-Aged Kids:
    • Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor  – This classic masterpiece focuses on Cassie Logan, an independent girl who discovers why having land of their own is so crucial to the Logan family, and learns to draw strength from her own sense of dignity and self-respect.
    • Hidden Figures Young Readers’ Edition by Margot Lee Shetterly – Tells the amazing true story of four African American female mathematicians at NASA
    • Nelson Mandela: The Authorized Comic Book by The Nelson Mandela Foundation – This comic book features new interviews, firsthand accounts, and archival material making the story of Mandela’s life and work accessible for teenagers.
    • Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson – An intimate and moving account of the author’s childhood as an African American in the 1960’s and 1970’s
  • Read or Discuss with Your Teens:
    • Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams  – This deeply sensitive and powerful debut novel tells the story of a thirteen-year-old who must overcome internalized racism and a verbally abusive family to finally learn to love herself.
    • Dear Martin by Nic Stone Raw – Captivating, and undeniably real, Nic Stone joins industry giants Jason Reynolds and Walter Dean Myers as she boldly tackles American race relations in this stunning debut
    • All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely Written by two award-winning authors and alternating between the perspectives of one black and one white teenager, All American Boys is a moving novel about privilege and racism that every teenager should read.
    • Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi – This book shines a light on the many insidious forms of racist ideas – and on ways readers can identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their daily lives.
    • X: A Novel by Ilyasah Shabaz Co-written by Malcolm X’s daughter, X follows the formative years of one of the most powerful leaders in African American history.
  • Watch with Your Teens (Please check the ratings of these before watching with your family):
    • The Hate U Give, a film based on the young adult novel offering an intimate portrait of race in America
    • Becoming, a Netflix documentary following Michelle Obama on her book tour
    • Dear White People, a Netflix series about being black at a predominantly white college
    • Hidden Figures, a film about the brilliant African American women of NASA
    • Remember the Titans, story of a newly-integrated football team
    • These 26 New York Times mini-films for students
    • Just Mercy, a film based on the life work of civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson, examining systemic racism in our society and legal system (now streaming for free)

Links to Resources from Other Synagogues

Ways to Help

Organizations

National African American Museum resources:


What we accomplished in 2020:

  • June 15 – Rabbi Diamond leads a discussion about race and participants were broken into small groups to discuss further.
    After the discussion 5 TAEngage groups formed to discuss the Book White Fragility.
  • August 24 – Black Jewish Women Discuss Race: Rabbi Diamond and Dan Kuperberg interview April Powers and Kiyomi Kwolski. Watch the recording here:
  • Week of September 7 – 6 TAEngage discussion groups start to further discuss race. These groups focused on microaggressions, criminal justice and systemic racism, including discussing the movies 13th and Selma.
  • September 12 – At the Selichot Service Dr. Marc Dollinger discussed Jews and the Black Power Movement – 1960’s and 1970’s. Click here to watch the presentation.
  • September 28 – Yom Kippur afternoon discussion group featuring Mara B. Gad author of The Color of Love, an unforgettable story about what you inherit from your family – identity, disease, melanin, hate, and most powerful of all, love. Click here for more information
  • November – A survey was sent out to the congregation asking what action topics people would be interested in working on
  • December 2 – A congregational meeting was held to discuss the next steps. 4 task forces were formed to begin the work. Criminal Justice Reform, Voter Suppression Reform, Education Reform, and Inclusion at TAE. The task forces are open to the congregation. The meet regularly (every 2-4 weeks) and will be on going. Click here for more information.