The Unity Forum

The Unity Forum

Mission: Our mission is simple, but profound; to foster unity and common purpose between African American and Jewish communities by deepening interpersonal engagement, mutual learned respect, and shared experiences with the goal of advancing social justice, combating racial prejudice and anti-semitism, together.  

Vision: A world where African American and Jewish communities stand together, as family, embracing their shared history and working collectively to create a more just, safer and inclusive society.

THE PAIN: IN 2025, THE AFRICAN AMERICAN AND JEWISH COMMUNITIES ARE UNDER INCREASING ATTACK.

According to the NAACP, sixty-Five percent of African American adults have felt targeted because of their race. Structural discrimination and unjust policing, prosecution, and incarceration practices unfairly impact African American communities. Project 2025 is a well-coordinated, dangerous, and profoundly racist attempt to transform American life to match a vision rooted in a nationalist ideology that America was founded as a white nation and should remain so. Already we have seen an equity purge in government, not for profit and private sectors. Historical documentation and recognition of African American contributions to science, civil rights, and defence are being erased in cities, museums and educational institutions.

According to an audit issued in April by the Anti-Defamation League, antisemitic incidents, including assaults and vandalism, has jumped 344% over the past five years and increased 893% over the past 10 years.

American Jewish Committee (AJC)’s State of Antisemitism in America Report, found the vast majority (90%) of American Jews say antisemitism has increased either a lot (61%) or somewhat (29%) since the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, and one-third (33%) of American Jews say they have been the personal target of antisemitism – in person or virtually – at least once over the last year. The Trump administration is removing civil rights of Americans in the name of protecting Jewish students on campus. A backlash is expected.

The Past:

History and conditions on the ground tell us that the time to act is now. Each community has a decision to make: go it alone, or create meaningful alliances with others. Decades of experience proves that when the Black and Jewish communities come together to fight injustice, they are stronger together. Examples include:

Founding of the NAACP: Jewish leaders were among the founding members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909. Notably, Jewish philanthropist Julius Rosenwald provided significant funding to support the organization's efforts to combat racial injustice.

Booker T. Washington and Julius Rosenwald’s partnership: Between 1912 and 1932, more than 5,300 Rosenwald Schools were built across 15 Southern states, serving over 600,000 African American students, improving educational access and quality for African American children during a time when public education for African Americans was grossly underfunded and neglected.

Double V Campaign: During World War II, the Black community, through the "Double V Campaign," signaled their support for the war effort and for the fight against Nazism, demonstrating their recognition of the Jewish people's plight.

Rosa Parks & Melvin Block’s partnership: Parks was known as the "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement," Parks’ refusal to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama, sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Melvin Block was a Jewish attorney who was part of the legal team that helped fight against segregation laws in the South.

Rabbi Heschel and Dr. Martin Luther King’s partnership: Rabbi Heschel was a prominent Jewish theologian, philosopher, and civil rights activist. Dr. King was a Baptist minister and the foremost leader of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s. They formed a powerful partnership rooted in their shared commitment to social justice and religious values. Herschel was present at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in August 1963 and the two men walked arm in arm at the Selma to Montgomery march in March 1965. Their partnership remains a powerful testament to the potential of interfaith alliances in advancing social justice and equality.

Solidarity with Soviet Jewry: African American activists and organizations joined Jewish groups in rallies like Freedom Lights for Soviet Jewry and Freedom Sunday to fight for the freedom of Jews in the Soviet Union.

The Opportunity

The magnitude of the threat facing the two communities is significant - too big to go it alone. Unfortunately, decades have gone by where our collective focus in the African American and Jewish communities seemed to dissolve away. It is time to go and find the pathway that can bring the two communities back together - working towards common goals. We both need each other. Strong alliances must be rebuilt.

The civic, religious and business community leaders must come together to bridge the divide between African American and Jewish communities, honoring our shared legacy while forging new paths of mutual understanding, respect, and collaboration. Our vision is a world where African American and Jewish communities stand together as family, embracing their shared history and working collectively to create a more just, safer and inclusive society. Our mission is simple but profound; to foster unity and common purpose between African American and Jewish communities by deepening interpersonal engagement, mutual learned respect, and shared experiences with the goal of advancing social justice, combating racial prejudice and anti-semitism, together.