Our shared stories of hatred, humiliation, oppression and slavery obligate us to show up for one another.
Last week I joined the 2026 Atlanta Summit for Black Pastors and Rabbis — three days of Black and Jewish faith leaders sitting together, telling each other our stories, learning from one another, having challenging conversations, reflecting on the past and making a plan for a shared future.
At the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, right across the street from the graves of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Coretta Scott King, we heard Dr. Susannah Heschel tell a story about rabbis gathering to sing “We Shall Overcome” in Hebrew shortly after Dr. King was murdered.
We heard Ambassador Andrew Young tell the story of a plan to bring 5,000 Black pastors to Israel in 1967. Plane tickets had been purchased and the plans were in place when the Six Day War erupted, canceling the trip.
And we heard newer stories too, about struggles happening right now, the anxieties we are feeling in both of our communities.