GatherDC’s Solidarity Guide

To our community,

All of us at GatherDC mourn those killed by an unjust and unequal society, and we stand in solidarity in the fight against systemic racism, the oppression of the BIPOC and AAPI communities, and white supremacy.

To our siblings of color: we see you and we stand with you.

It is time to stand in solidarity with each other – but sometimes standing isn’t enough. There are actionable items that we can and should be doing in response to George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and Nina Pop‘s murders – and the lives of so many more BIPOC and AAPI who have been unjustly taken from this world too soon. In the coming months, we will continue asking ourselves how we can better show up for the countless others who experience racism when there are no cameras around, and for the Jews of Color in our own community grappling with being seen and heard.

Part of GatherDC’s mission is to build a community where every single person, regardless of race, ethnicity, background, sexual or gender identity, or ability, can feel safe, welcome, and included. We are connected and share a common humanity that must be uplifted and valued by everyone.

We are inspired by so many individuals and organizations in our community who are using their voices to make change, and we join and amplify those efforts.

Below are a curated selection of resources that we have found useful, and we will continue adding to them in the coming days. If you have a resource to share – please email us at info@gatherdc.org. 

Sending love, strength, and solidarity,

GatherDC

Email Us Resource Suggestions

“We call our Torah a living Torah. We call our way of life Mayim Chayim, Living Waters…My job is to be in this world and refine who I am, what I am, make it relevant to this world being a better place.” – Yavilah McCoy, ARQ

Learn

• Read
  • Anti-Racist Resources for Jews from TC Jew Folk
  • Anti-Racism Resources for White People
  • Anti-Racism Resource List
  • Anti-Racist Reading List from The New York Times
  • ‘Believe us’: Black Jews respond to the George Floyd protests, in their own words – Jewish Telegraphic Agency
  • Book suggestions from the Jewish Multiracial Network
  • GatherDC Stands in Solidarity Against Asian-Hate
  • “I Can’t Breathe” by Evan Traylor
  • Jewish Racial Justice Resources from Jewish Social Justice Roundtable
  • “Jews of Color, Covid-19, Civil Unrest — An Argument for Inclusion” by Nate Looney
  • Listen, Learn, and Act – Anti-Racism resources rom JCRC (Jewish Community Relations Council)
  • Queer Jews of Color Resource List from Keshet
  • Racial Justice discussion guide for congregations and communities (Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism)
  • Resources for Embracing Racial Diversity in Our Jewish Communities from the RAC
  • Resources and Tools: How to Be a Better Ally
  • Scaffolded Anti-Racist Resources from AVODAH
  • Showing Up for Justice as a Jew by Jackie Zais
  • Showing Up for Racial Justice from Showing Up for Racial Justice DC (SURJ-DC)
  • Statements from JCRC, ADL, HIAS, Jewish Federations of North America
  • The 1619 Project from New York Times Magazine
  • Understanding Where Racism and Anti-Semitism Intersect from JCRC
  • Ways Your Congregation Can Act Now for Racial Justice by URJ
  • Why You Need to Care About Black Lives Matter by Aviva Davis, MyJewishLearning.com
  • 17 Books on Race Every White Person Needs to Read by Bustle.com
• Listen 
  • 1619 (New York Times)
  • Brené Brown with Ibram X. Kendi on How to Be an Antiracist
  • Code Switch (NPR)
  • How to Overcome our Biases (TedTalk)
  • Pod For The Cause (from The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights)
  • Pod Save the People (Crooked Media)
  • Special Message from The Daily Show with Trevor Noah – YouTube
• Watch
  • 3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets — HBO
  • 12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen) — Amazon Prime
  • 13th (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix
  • Dear White People (Justin Simien) — Netflix
  • Fruitvale Station (Ryan Coogler) — Amazon Prime
  • I Am Not Your Negro (Raoul Peck) – Amazon Prime
  • Ibram X. Kendi on How to Be an Antiracist – YouTube
  • If Beale Street Could Talk (Barry Jenkins) — Hulu
  • King In The Wilderness  — HBO
  • Moonlight (Barry Jenkins) — Netflix
  • Race the Power of an Illusion — PBS
  • Selma (Ava DuVernay) — Available to rent
  • The Hate U Give (George Tillman Jr.) — Hulu
  • The Protests’ Hope and Despair — PBS
  • What Makes This Jew Different Than All Other Jews? Race, Difference, and Safety in Jewish Spaces (Shais Rishon) — My Jewish Learning
  • When They See Us (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix
  • Who Counts? Race and the Jewish Future (Ilana Kaufman) — My Jewish Learning

“Justice, justice, you shall pursue” – Deuteronomy 16:18–20

Donate

• American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU DC)
• Bail Funds
• Ben’s Chili Bowl Community Foundation
• Black Lives Matter (Black Lives Matter DC)
• Black Visions Collective
• Campaign Zero
• Color of Change
• Equal Justice Initiative
• Fair Fight
• Jews of Color Field Building Initiative
• NAACP Legal Defense Fund
• National Urban League
• Reclaim the Block
• Solutions Not Punishment Collaborative
• Southern Poverty Law Center
• United Negro College Fund
• 15 Social Justice Organizations to Support Right Now
• Other Suggestions

“You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it”– 2:21 Pirkei Avot

Act

• Support Black owned restaurants in DC
• Take action with Campaign Zero
• Take action with the Equal Justice Initiative
• Take a free course to help you become a stronger ally and have inclusive conversations
• Take care of your own emotional and spiritual health so you can fully show up for others
• Vote in local and national elections
• Write letters to local organizations supporting the Black community and Jewish POC
• Zoom a Shabbat dinner for racial justice

Email Us Resource Suggestions

“We are all created in the image of God — it’s time to build the Jewish community and world that makes our Torah true in this age.” – Evan Traylor, JTA