CSZ Anti-Racism Resources

On Rosh Hashanah 5781, Rabbi Aaron Starr reminded Congregation Shaarey Zedek (CSZ) of the mitzvah to pursue justice as it pertains to our day: 

The pandemic … has swept away the thin veil of racism in this country … We can and we must engage in listening, in learning, and in bridge-building with our inter-group and our interfaith partners. We can and we must be mindful that people of color in this country experience extreme prejudice from individuals and, perhaps more often, from the sheer structure of our society. We Jews know from discrimination and we especially know from systemic oppression, and we cannot let others go through what we know all too well. 
 
In response, Congregation Shaarey Zedek (CSZ) formed an Equity Task Force with the goal of initiating for our synagogue the development of projects and programs that support education and action; promote inclusion of Jews of Color within the CSZ family; and help all members of CSZ to understand and to address the ongoing climate of racism in America today. 

Our Mission
To pursue justice by

• Increasing awareness and empathy among our congregants toward issues of equity and inequity, especially as it pertains to inclusion of Jews of color within our own synagogue family;
• Initiating efforts toward relationship building on an organizational level with churches, schools and non-profits addressing issues of inequity; and
• Exploring efforts toward public policy initiatives that help to right areas of inequity. 

Resources for Learning and Discussion

Books from Read with the Rabbi
The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee
How to be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi

Articles
https://news.stanford.edu/2021/02/16/examining-systemic-racism-advancing-racial-equity/
https://www.benjerry.com/whats-new/2016/systemic-racism-is-real
https://medium.com/national-equity-project/implicit-bias-structural-racism-6c52cf0f4a92

Videos
What are structural, institutional and systemic racism?
https://youtu.be/GtOOj5YvMyc

TedEd: Systemic Racism, Explained:
https://ed.ted.com/best_of_web/j7Tzdz8r