African-American, Jewish teens in search of common ground
CHICAGO — When Genevieve Hicks’ health teacher told her about a “Let’s Get Together: An Interfaith Journey Toward Justice” trip, Hicks was scared.
“I was really afraid to meet different people that [were] outside of my comfort zone,” said Hicks, 16, of East Chicago. “So when I heard [the trip] would be Jewish children and African-American children, I was kind of scared because I thought I wasn’t like them in a way.”
The trip was for Chicago-area African-American and Jewish teenagers in grades 9 to 11. The goal was to learn about each community’s history, build student leaders and teach them how to advocate for social justice, all while developing friendships.
As part of the Springboard program, 33 students (19 AfricanAmerican and 14 Jewish) travelled to Memphis, Tennessee, Little Rock, Arkansas, St. Louis, and Springfield, Illinois.
Rabbi D’ror Chankin-Gould, the project manager of the trip, said that the program depicted a commitment to bridging the cultural gaps in Chicago.
“Chicago is so segregated that we don’t have a chance to get to know each other,” said ChankinGould, a rabbi at Anshe Emet Synagogue in Lakeview, one of the seven sponsors and organizers of the trip. “So this is our best attempt in shifting that dynamic, starting with young people.”
Various landmarks and museums along the group’s voyage offered historical context to help the students better explore their present communities.
In Memphis, the students visited a civil rights museum, as well as the church where Martin Luther King Jr. preached before he was assassinated. In Little Rock, they went to Little Rock Central High School and learned about integration and the Little Rock Nine. They also spent time learning about Jewish history and anti-semitism.
Next was St. Louis, and there the group went to a reform synagogue to meet with a rabbi and hear about the social-justice work being done there. They saw the stage play of The Colour Purple and talked to the actors afterward.
Finally, in Springfield, the cohort met with legislators and advocates to talk about how teens can get involved in making change. They visited the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, and the Springfield and Central Illinois African-American History Museum.
“This trip has shown me that in the past we made changes and we need to reconnect with how our two cultures used to be a team,” he said. “In order to create a better, brighter future with more justice and equality, we need to unite these groups that have been attacked throughout history and realize that we have amazing similarities.”
The concept for “Let’s Get Together” came about almost five years ago as the byproduct of a long friendship between Michael Siegel, senior rabbi at Anshe Emet Synagogue, and Chris Harris, senior pastor at Bright Star Church in Bronzeville, another sponsor, and organizer of the trip.
“Michael and I were at an event together, and we were asking the question, ‘Why is it that the African-American and Jewish communities are not still walking together, marching together in lock and step like they used to?’ “said Harris.
“And as we’ve gone forward,” added Siegel, “we’ve sought more and more about how to engage youth and how to build those meaningful relationships because the reality is that when you are in a relationship with someone, you carry their pain and their joys forward with you. You don’t simply turn the page or turn it off when it’s no longer in front of you.”
Hicks was able to create these relationships despite her initial fears. The trip deeply affected Hicks, too.
“Now that I’ve been on this trip and I’ve been able to talk about the things I felt and believed in, and people listened to me, I feel like I’m able to speak way better than before.”