Blog

As a graduate of both Tougaloo College and Jackson State University, the recent bomb threats to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are personal to me. Since January 2022, over a dozen HBCUs have received bomb threats; several of those threats were received on the first day of Black history month. The continuous attacks on institutions of higher learning; places of worship and individual attacks are a direct threat to our everyday existence.

January marked the end of President Biden's first year in office and the halfway point for the 117th Congress. As we look ahead in this new year, we hope President Biden and Congress will work together to focus on the following priorities in 2022.

Today, the anniversary of Rosa Parks’s birthday, is the ideal time to revisit her life and legacy for the inspiration and wisdom they provide. Many Americans remember Rosa Parks as the tired seamstress who refused to move to the back of a bus, but Rosa Parks is much more than that story: though she did not identify as Jewish, her life reflected a commitment that we might identify as tikkun olam – repairing what is broken in our world. Here are three key insights from Rosa Parks’ life we can bear in mind as Black History Month begins.

Last week, a narrow majority of Senators failed to protect Americans' voting rights. We are deeply disappointed by Senators' failure to make the necessary reform to the outdated filibuster that prevented the passage of the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act. This bill would have modernized the preclearance formula of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and established national standards for federal elections.

Last Saturday, January 22nd, marked the 49th anniversary of the US Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade decision. The Roe decision was revolutionary, as it protected a pregnant person's right to have an abortion, without excessive government restrictions. Now, we face a grim reality that Roe may not reach its 50 th anniversary. This spring, the Court will deliver its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the case that could functionally overturn Roe. If this happens, almost half the states in the US are poised to ban abortion entirely.

The world is facing the worst refugee crisis in global history, and the United States is failing to do all it can to support those seeking refuge. More than 82 million people worldwide have left home to escape conflict and persecution, surpassing the record of displaced persons after World War II. Asylum-seekers - those fleeing persecution in their home countries - account for about 8 million of those displaced.

The upcoming holiday of Tu BiShvat -- the birthday of the trees - brings back a memory of the American Museum of Natural History in New York. In the museum is an enormous cross-section of a giant sequoia tree. Standing before it is a sublime experience. The cross-section overwhelms you with its sheer size, inspiring questions about the size of the tree it was cut from.

The Religious Action Center is excited to continue our partnership with the Jewish Federations of North America as hosts of the annual Jewish Disability Advocacy Day (JDAD) on February 23 and 24, 2022.

We are in a time of great crisis, facing pandemics of systemic racism, poverty, climate change, voter suppression and COVID-19. Millions of Americans experience unemployment, hunger, and housing insecurity, facing the threat of climate change daily. People of Color and other marginalized communities experience the most adverse consequences. And the country continues to face endless attacks on our voting rights and reproductive rights. Before Congress breaks for their winter recess, there is much left to be done.