[Jewonthis] WCJA Statement of Support for Black Lives Matter Movement

[Ansari, Bilal]

As a Black male in this moment I say thank you, thank you, and thank you. I
thank you for your focus on Anti-Black racism executed on the (self) of
George Floyd! I thank you for your connection to the (us) the Anti-Black
racism we must address collectively! I thank you for your call to action
(now) inspiring intervention over complicit compassion.

I stand ready to assist on DC training!👊🏾

On Thu, Jun 4, 2020 at 12:19 PM Willwerth, Sarah <sbw2 at williams.edu> wrote:

> Tzedek, tzedek, tirdof. Justice, justice, shall you pursue (Deut. 16:20).
>
> Our Jewish tradition – and indeed the very fiber of our moral
> consciousness – requires us to speak and act to combat injustice against
> anyone. We support and stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter
> movement, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and many others, as
> they face pain and suffering in a country in which racism and injustice
> have continued for far too long. The Jewish concept of tikkun olam,
> meaning “repair the world,” demands that each and every person take action
> to improve the world. The members of the board of the Williams College
> Jewish Association (WCJA) unequivocally stand with the Black community in
> the fight for justice against systemic racism, violence, and police
> brutality.
>
> We recognize the historically complex relationship between Black and
> Jewish communities in the United States and aim to continue and strengthen
> our solidarity. We seek to continue the historical unity of Jews fighting
> racism and African-Americans fighting antisemitism, and we will strive to
> create peace and obtain justice. We specifically recognize the racism
> within our own community and the way Jews of Color, including Black Jews,
> are othered, mistreated, and rejected. We commit ourselves to addressing
> and removing these prejudices from our own spaces at Williams College and
> beyond.
>
> We acknowledge and condemn historic and contemporary injustices against
> Black people in America, including the violent systems of oppression from
> which white and white-passing people benefit. We are so sorry that it has
> taken so long, and so many Black lives, to galvanize these actions and
> apologize that WCJA as an organization has waited until these protests to
> make this statement, which should have come years ago. We affirm our
> commitment to ending any and all complicity we have with systemic
> injustices, which extends far beyond the words of any statement. We will
> hold ourselves and each other accountable for our implicit and explicit
> biases and work towards desperately needed changes to our unjust law
> enforcement, criminal justice, and economic systems.
>
> We pledge to take the following actions in the upcoming school year to
> support the Black Lives Matter movement and engage in this often difficult
> but always necessary work towards justice:
>
> -Hold fundraiser(s) for racial justice organizations;
>
> -Host programming that centers the experiences and identities of
> marginalized Jews and other marginalized communities;
>
> -Reach out to anti-racist organizations in the Berkshires;
>
> -Build alliances with other student groups at Williams;
>
> -Require Davis Center implicit bias training for all board members;
>
> We will adapt our plans as necessary given the uncertainty surrounding the
> upcoming semesters.
>
> As students, Jews, and global citizens, we are recommitting WCJA to
> justice work within our community and beyond. We strive to make WCJA a
> community of comfort, justice, peace, and love for all.
>
> L’shalom,
>
> WCJA Board 2020-21
> _______________________________________________
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> Jewonthis at wso.williams.edu
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>
-- 
-----------------------------------------
Bilal Ansari <https://diversity.williams.edu/profile/ba3/>, D.Min.
Assistant Vice President for Campus Engagement
Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Williams College
Williamstown, Massachusetts 01267
https://diversity.williams.edu/
(P) 413.597.3359
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