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the statement
Wednesday, November 23, 2016 / The Statement
How To: Pledging for Unity in the Face of Divisiveness
B Y S Y LVA N N A G R O S S
the
tangent
I
’m sure you’re really tired of hearing more about
President-elect Donald Trump. Good, because this
isn’t about him. This is about me.
So, I’m obviously going to start with an inspirational
quote that I did not say.
“My mom used to say, ‘You can’t fall off the floor’ ”
— Bakari Sellers, vice chairman of the South Carolina
Democratic Party.
This past weekend I traveled to Washington, D.C.
to participate as a representative of the University
of Michigan Hillel in the General Assembly of the
Jewish Federations of North America. It was a little life
changing and it’s where I heard Sanders speak.
At the GA — that’s the cool, hip abbreviated way to
say it — I got to sit four rows away from Supreme Court
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (who claimed that she is
proud to be the Notorious RBG), to Skype with Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to be in contact with
congressman Ted Deutch (D—FL), to be front row at a
Kafe Shahor Hazak (“Strong Black Coffee” in Hebrew)
hip-hop concert and to participate in multiple breakout
sessions on philanthropy, media during the presidential
election and the Jewish voice in Israel.
Just pointing out, the above paragraph is only one
sentence. Haters back off.
In one of the breakout sessions, I sat in the audience
of a panel filled with two Jewish African Americans,
Yavilah McCoy and Gamal Palmer and Sellers, a
political commentator for CNN. McCoy was strong in
her stance to inspire us to march forward confident in
our identities, Palmer preached the value of respecting
those identities and Sellers spoke of his belief that we
will all be all right.
Expectedly, I walked away feeling inspired.
I also had the chance to visit, as a part of the first
Jewish group, the National Museum of African
American History and Culture. The exclusivity of the
NMAAHC (the museum is booked through March) can
be equated to Hamilton, but it’s worth it. The museum is
breathtakingly amazing.
But the main point of this article is about a meaningful
conversation I had the day after visiting the museum
with some fellow Michiganders. In brief, we spoke about
how amazing the museum was, but how we did not think
we felt the same impact because of the privilege of our
skin. We spoke about how that wasn’t inherently bad to
not understand the full weight of the museum, as we are
sure others do not feel the same impact when they visit
the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum or Yad
Vashem in Israel. Though the Jewish voice is entwined
with the Civil Rights movement in America, it is not the
spotlight. We cannot claim that.
Within this conversation among Jewish women, I
want to point out two major points.
The first is that we spoke about it. We talked and
explained how we were affected and how we felt while
maintaining the sanctity of those who were directly
affected. The second is that we were there and we were
inspired. We didn’t “otherize” ourselves, as Sellers puts
it, or stake claim to why we were being marginalized.
Because. We. Weren’t.
I came away from that weekend making a pledge
to myself that I will do what I think is right. I made a
pledge to worry about my neighbor as much as I worry
about myself. And I made a pledge to be a part of the
conversation, and if conversation is too little, the fight.
I know so much has been written already in the
past week, and my voice isn’t adding much to the
conversation. But this is as much a pledge to you as it
is to myself. I have not mentioned political names sans
the introduction, I have not discussed the election
and I have not mentioned party names. I am a future
lawyer, I see both conservative and liberal viewpoints
and though I highly lean in one direction, I do not judge
those who lean in the other. I believe in democracy and
I believe in each other.
One day, I might look back and be regretful I chose to
be very careful with my words in this column. And be
regretful that I did not voice everything that I wanted
to. But in truth, I don’t think I will. McCoy said this to
us: “This is a time for action, not for words.” And I hope
whoever knows me will attest in these coming years, as
I become a real adult, that my actions will be just and my
words will be few.
At the GA, a very common dialogue was, “We have
not forgotten,” to remind ourselves that as the Jewish
community we have not forgotten our past. And so it
is our duty to now stand up and protect those whose
future is in danger.
As a Jewish woman, I have not forgotten.
And now is not a time to keep quiet and forget, either.
Your economic status is not more important than the
safety and security of the person next to you. Your
political agenda is not more important than the safety
and security of the person next door. Your beliefs about
Israel, the Islamic State, in building a wall or others is
not more important than the safety and security of your
friends and family.
I have faith in America. I am not being naive, and I am
not succumbing to the disillusionment of this nation.
I do not see the danger in my day-to-day life, but that
does not mean it does not exist. I call on you to speak
up and be heard as we enter into the real world. We are
the future. We must be the change and break from our
liberal bubble and see the world for what it is, and not
what it should be.
Listen to Sellers’ mom.
How to: Have political conversations with someone
you don’t agree with as an adult
1. Are you both in a combative mood, angry and
unwilling to listen?
2. If yes to 1, don’t do it
3. Are you both cool, calm and collected?
4. If yes to 3, move forward
5. Listen and engage with the other’s background
6. Speak your mind
7. You will disagree
8. The world will not end
9. Don’t worry, you’re obviously in the right
10. They are the worst
11. People are the worst
12. Fake an excuse and disengage from the 13.
conversation
13. “My mom is calling, she pays my tuition bill so I
should probably talk to her”
14. If 9-12 don’t happen, congratulations, you win