Dinners foster understanding between Detroit's Black and Jewish communities
In a time of some strained relations between Black and Jewish communities, with flames fanned by high-visibility figures like Kanye West, two young men in Detroit — one Jewish, one Black — are working to build bridges with food and fellowship.
Since 2017, Jacob Smith and Brandon Christopher have been hosting what they call “The Coalition Series,” a slate of regular, casual dinner events that invite Black and Jewish Detroiters and friends to connect over local food, art and music. On Friday, March 31, The Coalition Series will hold a Passover Freedom Party at The Jam Handy in Detroit from 6-10 p.m. with food, a live DJ and more.
Christopher said the dinners began organically as part of their friendship.
“Jake invited me to his house for Passover with his family,” Christopher said. “I expressed interest in Jewish culture and he welcomed me right in. Jacob had always been involved in a lot of Jewish organizations, and as our friendship evolved and I became more connected to the Detroit Jewish community through Jacob, we began to have more conversation about our communities. There was a realization that, hey, maybe we’re missing an opportunity to introduce our respective cultures to one another in a more meaningful way. It just kind of sprung from the organic cultural exchange that was happening between Jacob and me.”
Smith said the two friends began purposefully sharing more of their cultures with one another.
“Brandon was bringing me to predominantly Black spaces,” Smith said. “I had experiences with Brandon where, for the first time in my life, I was the only white person in the room. He took me into spaces in Detroit that either I wouldn’t have thought to go to, or would not have felt welcome, you know? It really helped expose me to a side of Detroit that I wasn’t accessing on my own.
“Brandon started similarly. He went to an all-Black high school, as far as I know, and a historically Black college, so he didn’t have a lot of exposure outside of the Black community. I brought him into my family Passover and started taking him into some Jewish programming, so this kind of cross-cultural exchange was always embedded in our relationship. Later, when we thought about all the folks we knew and were shocked by how many people didn’t know each other across cultural lines, who should know each other. And that was really the impetus to start the dinners.”
That first dinner in 2017 sold out, as has each one since.
“From the first time, the proof of concept was there,” said Christopher. “Folks were interested, people were engaged. I usually DJ. We use local food vendors. It’s a great opportunity for fellowship, and there’s professional networking going on. When you have that mix of interesting people you got some good music, good food, good conversation… I think we really have a nice little gumbo, so to speak, and people have consistently responded to it.”
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“Every time, it looks so natural, feels so natural—and at the end of this dinner, nobody wants to leave, there are people hanging around. We usually have to kick people out, and I think that’s a testament to the functionality of the dinners. My favorite thing is to actually see it working.”
Things have escalated after a CBS Mornings segment featured February’s Coalition dinner. In the wake of incendiary remarks and tweets by West that shot Black-Jewish relations to the top of the national conversation, producers looked at more than 100 organizations around the U.S. that work to promote positivity and understanding between the two communities, and selected The Coalition Series. Smith and Christopher were surprised to be contacted.
The well-received segment has resulted in phone calls and emails from around the world, people and organizations who want to learn more, want to partner, want to export their format, want to grow what’s happening in Detroit. The two partners are working on an informational package that will allow everyday citizens to host their own cross-cultural dinners, just like Christopher and Smith did when the events began.
“I haven’t received a single negative piece of feedback,” Christopher said. “And I’ll also say this: The positive feedback has also been cross-cultural. Those things give you an extra push, let us know that what we’re doing is impacting other people positively. We know there’s more work to be done, though.”
Friday’s Seder-style event is held by The Coalition Series along with The Coalition for Black & Jewish Unity, The Well and the Jewish Community Relations Council/American Jewish Committee.
“I think that a lot of tension between different cultures is rooted in a lack of understanding,” Smith said. “And I think a lack of understanding is often enhanced by a lack of proximity. In a region like Southeast Michigan, where we’re all too often separated based on our culture or background, but that’s not unique here. It happens around the country. When folks aren’t in proximity, there’s lots of room to misunderstand and fear the other.
“Activism doesn’t always mean marching in the street or running for politics. I think that meeting folks from different cultures, meeting folks who are different from yourself, is a form of activism. And I really hope to inspire other people to create intentional proximity between folks from different backgrounds in their own communities.”
Tickets for Friday's Passover Freedom Party start at $15 and can be purchased at jlive.app/events/4241.
Contact Free Press arts and culture reporter Duante Beddingfield at dbeddingfield@freepress.com.
The Coalition Series: Passover Freedom Party
Friday, March 31, 6-10 p.m.
The Jam Handy, 2900 E. Grand Blvd., Detroit
Tickets start at $15
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Dinners foster understanding between Detroit's Black and Jewish communities
