The African American-Jewish Civil Rights Alliance: Shared Legacies

In the turbulent 1960s Civil Rights era, Jewish and African American communities forged powerful alliances in pursuit of racial equality and justice. Jewish leaders backed Dr. King's movement, creating bonds of support and shared purpose that helped advance the cause of freedom. Yet in recent decades, this once-mighty relationship has frayed, as divisions have emerged and common ground has been lost.

Through a treasure trove of archival materials and eyewitness accounts from movement leaders including Congressman John Lewis, Ambassador Andrew Young, and members of the King family, Shared Legacies revisits this crucial chapter in American Civil Rights history. As divisive rhetoric takes root in today's landscape, the film offers an urgent reminder of what can be achieved when communities unite around shared values of justice and equality, validating that freedom for all requires people to come together across differences.

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. is the President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association and Board Chair of Spill the Honey Foundation. A civil rights icon who worked with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as a teenager, Dr. Chavis served as Executive Director of the National Association for the Advanced of Colored People (NAACP) and organized the Million Man March, dedicating his life to advancing justice and building bridges between communities.

Rabbi Dr. Judy Schindler is the Sklut Professor of Jewish Studies at Queens University of Charlotte. She is also the Executive Director of Spill the Honey Foundation that serves as the national hub producing arts and educational content that empowers the Black-Jewish alliance today in combating anti-semitism and racism.

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