Racial Justice and Bias

Racial Justice and Bias

Etz Chayim (Adult Education) and Civic Engagement at Wise present together:

Racial Justice and Bias, with Educator Tahel Wise

A Post-Passover Seminar

April 11, 18, and 25 at 8:00pm EST via Zoom

Session 1: Identity and Systemic Racism

In this session we will consider our own identities by exploring what we are taught about ourselves and our communities, what relationships our white Jewish communities have with Black communities, and what we are taught about the history of racism. We will then work to identify how racism operates in our society, from employment and education to the criminal justice system to the media. What are examples of racism in our own lives? What racism is more ‘close to home’ and what is systemic?

Session 2: The Roots and the Reality

In our second session we will hone in on two parts of systemic racism: poverty & policing/ the prison system. We will study the facts of racialized poverty and policing and identify what historically led us to this point. Throughout this session we will also identify what mentalities play a part in maintaining these systems and what we need to unlearn in order to change them.

Session 3: Moving Forward

Our last session will be both challenging and hopeful as we ask ourselves: What is our role in the fight for racial justice? What needs to shift in our own minds and communities? What does allyship really mean and what is being called for by Black peoples? We will focus on learning more about the movement for reparations, discussions around defunding the police, initiatives for combating poverty and Black liberation movements throughout time. Our goal will be to create an action plan, including ways to speak to White family and community members to increase involvement and accountability.

Tahel Wise grew up at Adath Israel and has worked as a Jewish educator in Brooklyn for twelve years. T studied Afro-American Studies at Howard University and finished his degree at Hunter College, focusing on curriculum design to engage white people in becoming anti-racist. T is a writer and performer of essays, comedy, and poetry, and currently developing his first TV screenplay.