Let’s Get To Work

These themes are not the only ones weighing on our collective white conscience, of course. But I have now heard them over, and over, and over again. And that means we need to work through them together, rather quickly, so that we can direct our energies (and money, and organizing, and unlearning, and campaigning, and protesting) towards supporting movements led by people of color. All of them. Unconditionally. Not only ones with platforms we support unequivocally. Yes, I mean that as an unveiled call out to folks in my Jewish community who still hold conditions for supporting the movement. But that is not what allyship looks like in the face of black genocide. And yes, I mean to use the word genocide.

White people have an enormously important role to play in dismantling white supremacy. Let us be in this work together. Yes, you, whoever you are reading this. Let us commit to daily practice. Let us hold each other accountable, let us just hold each other, let us carry each other through. It is the very, very least we can do, while readying ourselves, as quickly as possible, for the work we must do.

In recognition of just some of the thinkers, creatives, and visionaries whose teachings are reflected here: James Baldwin, Indiya Moore, Rachel Cargle, Layla Saad, Amanda Seales, Ijeoma Oluo, The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond.

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Meg Sulivan is the Director of the JCC Harlem, and the Founder of Project Harmony Israel: An initiative of the Hand in Hand Center for Jewish-Arab Education in Israel. Meg is a trained practitioner in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution. She’s a lifelong New Yorker.