By Sammi Craig ’23
Staff Writer
On the evening of March 7, students convened in Blanchard Hall’s Great Room to watch, learn from and discuss the Anti-Defamation League’s Never Is Now 2021 panel titled “Confronting Anti-Black Racism to Fight Antisemitism.” The discussion was led by Associate Dean of Students for Community and Inclusion Latrina Denson and Chaplain to the College and Advisor to the Jewish Community Amelia Ender. After a land acknowledgment by MoZone Peer Advisor Emi Wilson ’23, the second event in this series centering anti-Black racism in solidarity with religious communities began.
The hour-long film focused on a panel of Black activists and community leaders who are engaged in confronting anti-Black racism to fight antisemitism. The three featured panelists included Chava Shervington, co-founder of Kamochah and board member of the Jewish Multiracial Network; Eric Ward, the executive director of Western States Center and Yolanda Savage-Narva, Director of Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for the Union for Reform Judaism.
Panelists discussed topics ranging from the origins of deep-rooted historical trauma to building coalitions between communities. A major focus of the discussion was that Black and Jewish communities determine what is and isn’t anti-Black racism or antisemitism, respectively. Shervington stressed that different groups experience oppression differently, and figuring out how to come together to have conversations is key. To Shervington, a major part of these conversations is focusing on impact versus intent. The panel also discussed how to identify when someone may be personally perpetuating harmful narratives or stereotypes and how to address those situations.
As the film was wrapping up, the panelists gave their final words and students transitioned to the discussion portion of the event. Guided by a series of questions, students broke out into small table groups to discuss any thoughts and reactions relating to the film. Questions included “What themes did you hear?” and “What challenged you?” When asked to share their findings with the wider group, several students agreed that the first step they wanted to take was to educate themselves more on this topic. By engaging in discussion, students were able to connect with others and share ideas on ways to combat anti-Blackness and antisemitism.
The idea for the film and discussion didn’t come out of thin air. Regarding the inspiration for the event, Ender shared, “[It was] a very organic process, and I think that makes it kinda rich.”
Both Denson and Ender agreed that the idea for exploring and discussing the presence of anti-Black racism in conjunction with fighting antisemitism was a thought that had been brewing for years before the event occurred.
“For me, honestly, it’s natural … The only way we can navigate white supremacy is by thinking about antisemitism and anti-Blackness. It was already a thing in my head before the term [anti-racism] started to become popular,” Denson said.
The ADL panel featured at the event is available on YouTube. In addition, according to Denson, the next event and discussion is planned to take place in person on Friday, March 25, and will focus on Black-Muslim community solidarity.