Please contact Rachel Beerman, Racial Justice Coordinator at rachel@buffalojewishfederation.org.
What to Read
Books
Non-fiction
fiction
For Teens
For Kids
Local Book Stores in Buffalo
Anti-Racism Articles
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
Peggy McIntosh
The Case for Reparations
by Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic
Great Black Heroes
Contains articles on many Black heroes in history who were pioneers and ground breakers in many different fields.
Allyship and Coalition: Combating systemic inequities together
by Raquel Zohar
Five myths about policing
by Alex S. Vitale, Washington Post
Understanding BLM
by Israel Action Network
What to Listen to
Podcasts
Brené with Ibram X. Kendi on How to Be an Antiracist
Discussions on racial disparities, policy, and equality with a key focus on How to Be an Antiracist and understanding how to uproot racism in society and within ourselves.
Seeing White
Fourteen-part documentary series by John Biewen, featuring Dr. Chenjerai Kumanyika that looks at where the notion of “whiteness” comes from and why it has led to white-identity politics and police brutality.
Code Switch
Journalists of color host fearless conversations about race and explore how it aimpacts all aspects of society.
Be Antiracist with Ibram X. Kendi
Podcast on Spotify
The Ezra Klein Show
Nikole Hannah-Jones and Ta-Nehisi Coates on the Fight Over US History on Apple Podcasts
What to Watch
movies
13th
Just Mercy
Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in School
The Hate U Give
Becoming
I Am Not Your Negro
Selma
Whose Streets?
Fruitvale Station
American Son
The Central Park Five
A Class Divided
LA 92
Twenty-five years after the verdict in the Rodney King trial sparked several days of protests, violence and looting in Los Angeles, LA 92 immerses viewers in that tumultuous period through stunning and rarely seen archival footage.
WHO WE ARE: A CHRONICLE OF RACISM IN AMERICA
Interweaving lecture, personal anecdotes, interviews, and shocking revelations, lawyer Jeffery Robinson draws a stark timeline of anti-Black racism in the United States, from slavery to the modern myth of a post-racial America.
Marshall
This biopic of Thurgood Marshall, the first Black U.S. Supreme Court justice, centers on his pivotal work in a sensational case as an NAACP lawyer.
Summer of Soul
In his acclaimed debut as a filmmaker, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson presents a powerful and transporting documentary—part music film, part historical record created around an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture and fashion.
TV Shows
When They See Us
The Wire
Dear White People
Black-ish
Insecure
United Shades of America
This series follows comedian and political provocateur W. Kamau Bell as he explores communities across America to understand the unique challenges they face.
The Underground Railroad
After escaping a Georgia plantation for the rumored Underground Railroad, Cora discovers no mere metaphor, but an actual railroad beneath the Southern soil.
Jews of Color
Jews of Color are members of the Jewish community who, in addition to identifying as Jewish, also identify as one or more non-white racial or ethnic group. This section’s resources are for Jews of Color, their friends, families, co-workers, and the Jewish community at large to offer connections, support, joy, and understanding.
Articles
Podcast
Identity/Crisis Podcast - Hartman Institute
Episode No. 14: American Jewish Communities After George Floyd features guests Ginna Green of Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice and Jews of Color Field Building Initiative, and Isaiah Rothstein of Hazon with host Yehuda Kurtzer discussing the stake of American Jews in the struggle.
Movie
Little White Lie
Little White Lie is a personal documentary about the legacy of family secrets, denial, and the power of telling the truth.
Video
Opportunities to Act
Confessions of the Heart
Over the Month of Elul, before the Jewish High Holidays which encourage individual and communal reflection, take part in Confessions of the Heart, a racial equity challenge offered by Jewish Emergent Network. The challenge consists of 30 days of anti-racism reflection, discovery, action, and transformation through a daily regimen of readings, videos, podcasts, and calls to action through daily prompts and two virtual communal conversations.
Jewish Multiracial Network
Become involved with the Jewish Multiracial Network, an organization that supports Jewish diversity throughout communities via capacity development, community development, community empowerment, and social capital. You can participate by signing up for the JMN newsletter, attending a JMN event in your area, volunteer with JMN, or go to the annual retreat.
Congressional Black Caucus
An organization that is committed to using the full Constitutional power, statutory authority, and financial resources of the federal government to ensure that African Americans and other marginalized communities have the opportunity to achieve the American Dream.
Racial Justice Action Challenges
Read and discuss Jewish texts for a d’var torah on Racial Justice.
START DISCUSSION ABOUT RACE WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY.
Encourage them to read and discuss books and articles about race.
Vote
Register to vote in future elections. For information on how to register to vote, see who is on your ballot, and apply for absentee voting, click here.
Racial Justice Sub-Committee
The Racial Justice Sub-Committee grew out of the recommendations from the Racial Justice Working Group in February 2021.
Another recommendation was to engage in Jewish Federation of North America’s Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) program. Jewish Buffalo is one of the inaugural cohorts in the JEDI program which began in May 2021. This year-long intensive program focuses on education as a means to engage and ultimately empower the Jewish community on racial equity in our Jewish and larger community. JEDI will be rolling out a curriculum for cohort communities to use. For more information, click here.
Sub-Committee Members:
- Corey Auerbach, Chair
- Adam Fogel, JCRC Co-Chair
- Deborah Goldman, JCRC Co-Chair
- Rabbi Ori Bergman
- Dr. Shira Brown
- Marc Brown
- Brenda Freedman
- Amy Heumann
- Risé Kulick
- Rene Petties Jones
- Harvey Sanders
- Samantha White
- Shelly Yellen,
Buffalo Jewish Federation Immediate Past President - Mara Koven-Gelman,
Senior Director - Rachel Beerman,
JCRC Manager - Rabbi Alex Lazarus-Klein,
JCRC Jewish Educator - Rob Goldberg,
Buffalo Jewish Federation CEO
More Resources
To learn more about Racial Justice, visit these websites:
The Dream Corps
The NAACP
Dēmos
Dēmos uses research and analysis to assist grassroots organizations in creating solutions that will create a democracy and economy rooted in racial equity.
Brennan Center for Justice
Color of Change
National Museum of African American History & Culture
Jews of Color Initiative
Be’chol Lashon
