One reason Jewish spaces have remained as primarily white spaces is not because JOCs don’t exist but because they don’t feel welcomed into those spaces. Lastly, affinity groups allow people to organize and take action. Each time, I have come away considering something new about my role as a Person of Color in the Jewish world and, consequently, have learned more about myself. Since then, I have had many opportunities to communicate with other Jews of Color, whether through affinity groups or other programming. I first began thinking about the convergence of my Chinese identity and Jewish identity only a few months ago. Many JOCs turn away from Jewish experiences because of the idea that they will not be immediately accepted for who they are.Īffinity groups are important spaces for people to further consider their identities and draw strength from similarly identifying individuals. Having to constantly explain ourselves is discouraging when the fact is that we have made a choice to identify as Jews, whether we were born into Judaism or converted – so why should it matter how we came to our decisions? For some, feeling a sense of belonging and knowing that there are other Jews like them is crucial to their involvement in Jewish communities. Of the many topics we discussed that night, the very first point upon which we came to consensus was that we are asked “So how are you Jewish?” far too often in Jewish spaces. Most importantly, I felt that I belonged, with no worries that people would question my being Jewish. I felt uplifted by the care and support offered by the group members and energized hearing of people’s efforts in pushing for diversity, equity, and inclusion in Jewish spaces. As I talked to everyone, the stress of the day faded away. The affinity gathering allowed us to connect through our experiences as JOCs and to discuss what we hope for the future of the multiracial Jewish community. My initial hesitation was immediately replaced with feelings of comfort in this new community.Īs I got to know the other participants, I understood that we were a group diverse in race, age, geographic location, and other identities (yay, Internet wonders!), brought together by our connection to Judaism. It was an emotional event for everyone, seeing such a large and diverse group of Jews when we are used to being the sole non-white person in Jewish settings.
Never before had I been in a Jewish space with so many People of Color for some, it was their very first time speaking with other Jews of Color.
When entering the Zoom room, I acknowledged that my entire screen was filled with the faces of People of Color, grounding me in my purpose for being there that night. I took a deep breath as I saw a message pop up on my screen: “The host will let you in to the Jews of Color & People of Color in the Reform Movement Affinity Space Gathering soon.” Send us feedback about these examples.As I logged on to Zoom for my fifth meeting of the day, I felt overwhelmed, tired, and hesitant to start my next call, aware that I would be joining a group of strangers without knowing what to expect. These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'affinity group.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
#Affinity groups how to#
2022 Ensure your leaders and managers complete DEI training including how to use inclusive language, how to create psychological safety across teams and how to effectively support affinity group leaders. Helen Shaw, Vulture, 2 July 2022 The colonial history of Gabon and Togo rests with France, not Britain, and the two African nations are members of French-speaking countries' own own affinity group, L'Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie. 2023 Adams’s Peter is the skeptical newcomer to the affinity group, reluctantly popping his head in, puzzled at their habits and language. 2022 Seek out industry affinity group meetups and set up coffee chats, or consider volunteering in an unpaid capacity. 2023 Eighteen months later, I was asked to co-lead the Firmwide Black Network for the Global Investment Research department, a diverse affinity group that was there to support Black employees of the firm. 2023 At Indeed, Wolfe says the company worked with the transgender subgroup of its LGBTQ affinity group to develop a playbook outlining responsibilities and guidelines to accomodate transgender employees. 2022 This event involved all the affinity groups coming together to share our own cultural dishes that involve rice. Recent Examples on the Web One is to join a section’s or council’s life member affinity group.
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