When we acknowledge the intersection of antisemitism and racism, we are better positioned to fight the syndemic (or synergistic epidemic) of White supremacy in the United States.

Hate crimes in the US have been increasing at an alarming rate. In a FBI report released in 2023, hate crimes increased 12% in 2021 from 2020. Victims were targeted by their race (65%) and religion (14.1%), in addition to other social identities. Society can no longer afford to view rises in hate crimes and discrimination targeting one group as isolated from other equally marginalized and vulnerable minority identities.  Over two weekly sessions, Elon University Professor of Psychology, Buffie Longmire-Avital, PhD will explore how the social construction of race both presently and historically, has shaped our ability to recognize and effectively respond to interpersonal, structural, and systemic forms of both antisemitic and racial injustices.

Longmire-Avital will draw from her recent research that examines the ways Jewish parents engage in racial-ethnic identity socialization, particularly how parents teach their children to navigate racial microaggressions in Jewish spaces and her ongoing work studying the relationship between chronic discrimination and health outcomes. Using an Empowerment Education Model, participants will listen, learn, reflect, and collaboratively construct plans to not only recognize and respond to the many ways White supremacy is enacted in the US but how to cultivate adaptive coping responses and restorative healing in community spaces.