A Response to We Do This ‘Til We Free Us

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I picked up We Do This ‘Til We Free Us because I wanted to better understand the principles of the Abolitionist movement (and because the good folks at Anti-Racism Daily recommended it!). The prison abolition movement, as envisioned and articulated by Mariame Kaba in this collection of essays and interviews, is as radical as it is beautiful. When I say “radical” I don’t mean “irrational” or “impossible.” I mean “profound,” “paradigm-shifting,” “mind-blowing.”

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Jews Talk Racial Justice - Ep 41: When You Overhear Microaggressions, Pt 2: Responding to a Question

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“What I did was actually try to prepare myself for when it happened again is practice saying out loud, ‘You know what, that's not funny,’ so that if it was a joke, that I actually had on the tip of my tongue - ‘That's not funny.’” - Tracie Guy-Decker

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Jews Talk Racial Justice - S2E20: Examining Jewish Outsider Status through MaNishtana’s ELI Talk

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“What would it feel like for us to get the healing we need and for us to start to just enjoy and savor the diversity of our religion and the diversity of our communities of all the folks who are Jewish adjacent, who may not be Jewish?” - April N. Baskin

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Jews Talk Racial Justice - S2E19: When You Overhear Microaggressions

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Way back in episode 2, April and Tracie spoke about better alternatives to some of the micro-aggressive things white-identified Jews often say to Jews of Color. So what happens if you overhear someone else trot out a micro-aggressive question or comment? What can you do? What should you do? How can you interrupt the oppression without falling into saviorism? April and Tracie dig into this question and offer some strategies for both disrupting the oppression and supporting the person on the receiving end of it.

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Jews Talk Racial Justice - S2E4: Deepen the Learning on White Leadership

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Continuing their work in "flipping the script," April and Tracie offer some nuance and context for when white people can and should lead racial justice work. That conversation leads to contemplation on giving and receiving comfort and feedback, both within affinity spaces (with people with a shared identity) and across lines of difference.

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Jews Talk Racial Justice - Ep 6: White Fragility, DARVO, and Accepting Feedback

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“What would the world look like if white people were just able to hear feedback and say, ‘thank you and I'll work on that’? That would be revolutionary.” - Tracie Guy-Decker

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Jews Talk Racial Justice - Ep 5: Tracie and April Live: Intergroup Collaboration in Savannah and Beyond

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“I have some things to contribute and I am still learning. Holding that both/and is going to be key, because there is a long history of white-skinned Jews in America doing things that look like integration but, in fact, might be forcing folks to align to the way we want things to be.” - Tracie Guy-Decker

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Jews Talk Racial Justice - Ep 1: Join the Conversation From the Beginning

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The week when it all started (sort of). April and Tracie introduce themselves, share more about how they connected, and their vision for sharing and modeling conversations about race for the Jewish community and our neighbors.

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