Processing George Floyd’s Death
Create a space for your community to process the murders of black people by police. The ADL’s article on George Floyd, Racism and Law Enforcement provides a helpful summary of what happened, the systemic racism that caused it, and the aftermath.
Discussion questions: What were your initial thoughts and feelings when you heard about what happened to George Floyd? In your opinion, what should happen next? Do you see people talking about this issue on the news, on social media or among your friends? What impact has that had on you? What can we do to help?
Take Action by Contacting Government
Gather your community to contact your local or national governments. If you’re in the US, you can find them here. If you’re writing letters, play this Spotify playlist of music by black artists about empowerment and pride. If you’re making phone calls, have each person make a phone call on speaker while the rest of the group supports silently, and then everyone can make their own calls! Empowering each of your participants to make phone calls themselves will give them the confidence to continue using their voice, long after your program is over.
Jewish Perspectives on Racial Justice
Use Repair the World’s Jewish Perspectives on Racial Justice for a virtual discussion with your community. Start with the individual reflection exercise and sharing with a chevruta (partners), then send your participants into four breakout groups to read and discuss one of the texts provided (here’s a video on how to create breakout rooms on Zoom). Have each group share their reflections. To close, set an intention for a way you’ll continue the conversation, and consider checking in with your participants on their intentions the following month.
Intro to Implicit Bias
Read the ADL’s article on Race, Perception and Implicit Bias to plan a discussion on our implicit biases. Before the program, have your participants take Harvard University’s Implicit Bias quiz on skin color. Ask questions like, How did it feel to take the quiz? What did you learn about yourself? Was anything surprising? How did you feel about your results? What implications might the results have in your daily life? What is your action plan to address your implicit biases?
