African-American and Jewish teens can find path to a more peaceful future | Opinion

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the nation’s oldest and leading civil-rights organization, has a mission “to secure the political, educational, social and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.” The NAACP strives to uphold the rights of not just the African-American community, but of all people, regardless of race, creed or religion.

The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, its government affairs and public policy arm, shares the same core value. Grounded in Torah and guided by Deuteronomy 16:20, Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof— “justice justice you shall pursue,” JCRC advocates for Jewish community interests while collaborating with other faith, ethnic and emerging communities that share its mission, vision and goals.

Currently, hate and violence are increasingly manifesting themselves in places that were off limits. The shootings at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; “Mother” Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina; Christchurch Mosque in New Zealand; Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida; and a host of school shootings vividly demonstrate the growing trend of racial, religious and overall cultural insensitivities on a national and global level.

Over many years blacks and Jews jointly fostered employment and educational opportunities, as well as fundamental civil rights, for all citizens. Their work rose above politics and was instrumental in advancing the welfare of both communities. However, new generations have begun to forget the rich relationships that existed with their former neighbors and historic allies.

We stand stronger when we stand together. That is why we both participated in Hillel at Florida International University’s Unity 2020 Initiative earlier this month, along with Black, Jewish and Muslim colleagues. Together, we examined ways we jointly address and fight discrimination, focusing on our commonalities and community building.

We can take inspiration from the late Rep. Elijah Cummings who said: “I want to send a message that we cannot, as African Americans, progress without coalitions, and our greatest coalition partner has been the Jewish people in America.”

To this end, the Miami Dade Branch of the NAACP and JCRC have launched a pilot program called Teens Advocating Together, to unite high school students from our respective communities together. These teens are among the best and the brightest in Miami-Dade County. They are change agents who are developing their toolkits and making a difference. Through this program, 18 teens are building relationships, learning about shared concerns and differences, volunteering together and developing a public policy issue — such as combating gun violence or climate change — on which to focus and advocate with state legislators in Tallahassee.

We are proud to engage our teens in this program and nurture relationships among these future leaders, as they model behavior and collaboration for their friends and families. They will ensure that, as a community, we can rise to the aspirations that have not been fully reached in years past.

Support our efforts to dismantle hatred of people of different walks of life and embracing an inclusive Miami-Dade community.

Ruban Roberts is president of the Miami Dade Branch of the NAACP. Carol Brick-Turin is director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.

This story was originally published November 20, 2019 at 6:29 PM.