Racial Equity and Antiracism
Racial Equity and Antiracism are JRC Values.
JRC believes that racial equity exists when one’s race does not determine one’s life outcomes and that acts of antiracism are part of tikkun olam (repairing the world). As a congregation, we are committed to understanding and dismantling white supremacy culture and systemic racism wherever we encounter it.
The importance of racial equity and antiracism corresponds to the JRC Board’s strategic values of kehillah (community), tikkun olam (repair of the world), btzelem elohim (made in God’s image), and chesed (loving kindness).
JRC's Values in Action
JRC's members, both as a congregation and as individuals, are dedicated to a variety of social justice movements and causes. You'll find a link at the bottom of each of our VALUES pages that will connect you to a congregant coordinating these efforts; please reach out for more information.
Addressing the Current Crisis in Israel-Palestine | Disability Inclusion | Environmentalism | Immigrant Justice | LGBTQIA+ Celebration | Protecting the Vulnerable | Racial Equity & Antiracism | Welcoming Interfaith Families
How we engage with Racial Equity and Antiracism at JRC.
- JRC has participated in and/or sponsored civil rights bus tours for our adult and teen congregants.
- JRC has held racial equity book fairs for our religious school and adult congregants.
- JRC has held and continues to hold many congregation-wide educational programs on redlining, reparations, and interrupting racism, collaborating with commmunity groups like the Shorefront Legacy Center, Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, and the Evanston YWCA.
- JRC has worked together with Second Baptist Church to form Solidarity Circles, in which mixed-race groups comprised of members of both congregations discussed feelings and experiences of race.
- JRC’s Anti Racism Task Force was convened to create a list of recommendations to the Board on how to examine policies and procedures at JRC through an antiracist lens.
- Via the Reconstructing Judaism movement, the JRC Board has undergone Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion leadership assessment and training.
- JRC’s ongoing commitment to these values is the focus of our Racial Equity Task Force.