By Tonia Wellons, President & CEO of the Greater Washington Community Foundation
As the year comes to a close, I have been reflecting on our work at The Community Foundation to promote a more just and equitable region.
Recent events have compelled me to stop and think about what it means for a community to be equitable, just, and thriving. I am reminded of a refrain instigated by Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1967 just before his assassination, “Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community?”
During times of immense community crisis, pain, divisiveness, unfathomable violence, hate, and bigotry, do we choose to come together as a community or do we let chaos reign over us? Over the last several years, I have seen our neighbors choose community and engage deeply in word and deed as we reacted to the “Muslim bans” in 2017; following the Tree of Life shooting in 2018; and as we spoke out against the rise in police killings of unarmed Black Americans, including George Floyd.
What is happening both in our community and across the country right now requires that we ponder this question again, as we raise awareness and concern about the uptick in antisemitic incidences nationally, and especially in our local community.
In line with the Greater Washington Community Foundation’s commitment to racial equity and inclusion and our dedication to justice and belonging, we answer the question by standing in solidarity with the Jewish community, especially in Greater Washington. We unequivocally condemn all acts of hate, religious bigotry, and intimidation in any form.
We believe that racism and antisemitism are part of a parallel narrative and harmful actions that work against our core values. These dueling systems rip apart shared ambitions for justice and for community.
I invite you to join us and choose community over chaos. To choose belonging over bigotry, antisemitism, racism, and other hateful ideologies that have no place in the Greater Washington region.
In the period ahead, we look forward to interrogating our shared ambitions, values, commitments, and actions toward building an equitable region for all.