Stephen Morse and Pierre Gooding: Bridging a gap over dinner

The importance of the African-American and Jewish communities working as a sole entity to open and extend the lines of communication within various groups at Penn and abroad can never be overstated. The fact that both communities face obstacles that continue to persist is surely a uniting force. People always ask why ignorance is such a problem, but the answer is that people refuse to talk about the serious problems that exist in society, for fear that serious issues will lead to tense and sometimes hostile environments. The Penn Israel Coalition has prioritized changing this ethos.

In an effort to reiterate the diverse base of the pro-Israel community at Penn, the group formerly known as PennPAC changed its name to the Penn Israel Coalition to represent the diverse group of members of the organization, which includes Jews, Christians, African Americans, Hispanics, Republicans, Democrats and others. PIC's leadership views this change as representative of the fact that the most legislative and community progress will only take place if we work as a team.

April 4 marked a historic day for Penn's Jewish and African-American communities. On the 37th anniversary of the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King, the Israel event week entitled "From West Philadelphia to Israel: Community Issues Unite Us All - Kosher Soul Food Dinner" was a fitting tribute to the slain leader in that it opened dialogues about many issues between members of the Jewish and African-American communities. The event piqued the interests of so many students, faculty and community members that the discussion component of the dinner could have likely lasted through the night.

The dinner served as a reminder of the cooperative efforts of Jews and African Americans who led America toward change during the civil rights era. Until this event, it was a little-known fact that Jewish members of congress and delegates in the Congressional Black Caucus were more aligned in their views than any other groups.

It is also not surprising that few attendees of the event (Jews included) realized that approximately 20 percent of Israel's population lives below the poverty level. Thus, many of the problems facing America's urban communities have also affected Israel.

College junior and Alliance for Understanding member Bruce Trammell said it best: "On some issues, it's either right or it's wrong. When it's right, it's right."

Penn's Greenfield Intercultural Center sponsors a program called Alliance for Understanding. This program serves to connect African Americans and Jews by holding weekly meetings that educate members of both groups about traditions, practices and viewpoints of the others. Many members of this group traveled together during spring break to Alabama and Georgia to visit important civil rights era sites and meet with the aging leaders from this movement. With no exceptions, all participants were shaken by the horrible atrocities that occurred against blacks and Jews, but they were thankful for the changes that have since been implemented.

Perhaps all of the smaller communities at Penn should try to reach out to other groups on campus. At the April 4 dinner, College sophomore Ruben Brosbe claimed that it is important for our generation to gain the sense of urgency that previous generations possessed. He boldly reminded attendees of the dinner, "We are the grandchildren of the people who survived the Holocaust and Jim Crow laws. Now those survivors are dying, so it's our job to keep their hopes and dreams alive."

With some effort, groups will likely find allies in our larger Penn community that they were previously unaware of. Whether it is a Kosher Tapas dinner or Soul Food to Seoul Food that unites us in the future, we have learned that as crazy as a dinner's theme may sound, with intellectually curious students and community members present, attendees will be exposed to thoughts, arguments, viewpoints and histories that they would likely otherwise never learn. In the end, raising awareness of problems and accepting the responsibility to solve those problems happens one conversation at a time.

Stephen Morse is the intercultural chairperson of the Penn Israel Coalition.Pierre Gooding is the president of the Class of 2006.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.