Program on Reparations - Thursday, October 14

With US Representative, Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX 18); US Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL 9); and Pastor Michael Nabors

US Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX 18)

US Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL 9) Beth Emet’s Social Justice Coalition has a long-standing relationship with the Jewish value Tikkun Olam, repairing the world. Throughout the pandemic the Social Action Committee has continued to meet monthly, learn together, stretch and grow in our thinking, and plan ways to increasingly engage our Beth Emet community in this work around supporting racial equity.

Momentum for reparations has increased considerably since incidences of violence against Black Americans in the summer of 2020 brought race-based disparities in housing, wealth creation, education, health care and treatment under the law into focus.

Evanston has embarked upon an historic, precedent-setting eff ort to pay reparations for documented systemic racism, past and continuing, that has profoundly damaged Black residents of the City. A commitment to pay reparations has historically followed an implicit or explicit acknowledgement that harm has occurred to such an extent as to mandate payment to compensate those harmed.

Based on our understanding that our Jewish values morally compel us to support the need for reparations to address structural racism the Racial Justice Committee (a subset of the larger Social Action Committee) has been working with multiple community members, including those in the Black community, to build awareness and support for this important national issue in our congregation. Already, presentations have been made to the Beth Emet community at a previous Town Hall meeting and separate discussions were held within the Social Action Committee and the Board of Trustees as well as regular meetings with Rabbis London and Memis-Foler and Karen Isaacson.

There are exciting plans in development for the fall! Mark your calendars and get ready to tune in! These include a discussion on the evening of October 14, 2021 featuring Sheila Jackson Lee, the sponsor of H.R. 40, our own Jan Schakowsky, a cosponsor of the bill, and Pastor Michael Nabors, a leader of the Reparations Stakeholders Authority of Evanston and President of the Evanston/ North Shore NAACP. The planning committee is also developing a 3-part adult education series to provide background and current developments about the reparations movement, both nationally and in the Chicago-metro area.

If you are interested in learning more or in getting involved, feel free to contact Rabbi Memis-Foler amemisfoler@bethemet.org or Lisa Levine at lisajlevine@gmail.com

New faces are always welcome at the monthly Social Action Committee meetings, held virtually. Meeting times and Zoom links will be posted in EmetMail.