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The Leverage to Choose Differently

At the recent Ashkenazi Jews Eliminating White Racism Workshop, I worked on a memory from kindergarten. I had been playing all day with a Mizrachi Jewish girl. On our way home, she suddenly showed fear and insecurity, and I became angry and impatient with her for showing what I now know was internalized racism. In my session, I realized that I had actually been mad at her for leaving me—in her mind. My racism had come from feeling abandoned by her.

I lose patience around People of the Global Majority when the hurts of internalized racism show, because I take it personally. I feel like they are choosing their distress over being close to me. I could cry about this for a long time.

That I get lost in my own hurts around People of the Global Majority and pin my feelings of abandonment on them is a way that I act out my own racism. Understanding this gives me the leverage to choose differently.

Ela Thier

New York, New York, USA

Reprinted from the RC e-mail
discussion list for leaders of Jews

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Last modified: 2020-02-27 00:38:12+00