Dear Friends,
Over the past few years, we’ve heard the steady drumbeat of names, one after another, of the Black Americans who have died at the hands of law enforcement. We know these reported numbers pale in comparison to actual deaths and other injustices the Black community continues to face. And we’ve noticed with pain that the routine murders of trans people of color barely ever make it into the news cycle at all…
LGBTQ+ Jews of color have always needed our allyship, and we haven’t done enough for them. We understand fully that we must look for opportunities to promote their voices. Silence is violence; remaining passive makes us complicit in the systemic injustices against them. Black lives matter. We pledge to take a more active role in shining a spotlight on the lives and achievements of our LGBTQ+ brothers, sisters, and family that are also Jews of color.
As members of a marginalized community, we know better than to be silent. We have personally been victims of prejudice, hatred, other-based violence, harassment, and discrimination. And we have too often seen rampant racism both in our LGBTQ+ spaces and in our Jewish community.
We collectively and wholeheartedly condemn racism, police brutality, and white supremacy. We are committed to inclusivity, equality, and diversity. We commit moving forward to using our privilege to promote equity for everyone in our JQ community and more broadly. The events of the past few weeks opened our eyes to just how much more we could have been doing.
“Tzedek, Tzedek, Tirdof” – “Justice, Justice, You Shall Pursue”
One of the central declarations of the Torah, Deuteronomy 16:20
We pray this moment marks a new beginning for our country, one that celebrates the full humanity and contributions of Black, Brown, Indigenous, Trans, and Queer people — in our community and everywhere.
To learn more and take action, we encourage you to visit the resource links and organizations below for education and information on what you can do to help:
- Moishe House Anti-Racism Resources Page
- Zioness for Racial Justice: An Activist’s Guide
- Black Lives Matter
- NAACP
- NAACP Legal Defense Fund
- Southern Poverty Law Center
- ACLU Nationwide
- Jews of Color Field Building Initiative
- Be’Chol Lashon
- Campaign Zero
- Black Visions Collective
We look forward to celebrating an even bigger and better Pride this month, under an even more colorful, truly inclusive flag.
The JQ Team
