| OUDC Social Justice Fellow Elena Mandell reflects on the most recent session of the program, where students learned about cultural connections between the Jewish and Black communities and talked about the interplay between religion, culture, and spirituality. On December 8th, Class 29 met with Candace Bazemore and Gabby Spatt, co-authors of the children’s book Shabbat and Sunday Dinner. In this book, the main characters David and Malcolm explore the values of sharing cultures and traditions, and we had the chance to do the same as a group through discussion, cooking, and baking. |
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| This session took place at DC Central Kitchen in Southwest, DC. We baked challah and made deep fried cornbread with Candace and Gabby as a form of cultural exchange. In the same lesson, we learned the traditional prayer for the separation of challah and about the importance of deep-fried cornbread in some African American family’s Sunday dinners. It was fascinating to see these traditions, along with the others discussed, side by side. Lastly, we also discussed the similarities and differences between religion, spirituality, and culture, and how each relates to our work in confronting racism, antisemitism, and all forms of discrimination. |
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| This lesson taught me personally the importance of cross-cultural understanding and how it is an essential component of a solid social justice framework. I also think this week’s meeting grew our relationships as a class through cooking — a universal language and point of connection. I left the meeting with a growing curiosity about intercultural similarities and connections, and how they impact a social justice setting and everyday life. I look forward to continuing to address culture as a topic in our meetings and learning more about the diverse cultural and religious makeup of our class. |
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| I hope our class will take the idea of cultural connections across differences forward in the OUDC program, and in our lives as people striving for social justice. |