From 2013 until 2017, I was honored to serve as a political appointee in President Obama’s White House. In my role in the Domestic Policy Council’s Office of Urban Affairs, Justice, and Opportunity, I entered the White House gates each morning with the responsibility of expanding and protecting the civil rights of all people in our country. On any given day, we could have been working to coordinate better services for LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness, expand access to voting rights, reform the criminal justice system, and close the pay gap for women--just to name a few. In... Read More
From September 4-7, the Senate Judiciary Committee held its confirmation hearing on the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh for Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. As explained in the Reform Jewish Movement’s statement of opposition, Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation would threaten to roll back critical social justice advances for which, inspired by our Jewish values, we have fought so hard to achieve. The stakes are high; Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation has the potential to impact the United States for generations to come. In advance of the hearing, we ... Read More
On August 22, 2018, we sent a list of questions to Congress regarding the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. As a Movement rooted deeply in enduring Jewish values and committed to the principles of justice, equality, the rule of law and compassion, we urge members of Congress to make use of these questions during Judge Kavanaugh’s hearing, explore these issues of concern with Judge Kavanaugh if they meet with him, and call for full disclosure of Judge Kavanaugh’s records. General Jurisprudence Upon the... Read More
As the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival—a campaign to raise up the enduring and intersecting web of issues that sustain deep inequality in American society— continues into this Pride Month, we are reminded of the importance of highlighting the way in which poverty uniquely affects already marginalized communities. Specifically, we know that LGBTQ Americans experience poverty at a higher rate than non-LGBTQ Americans. According to the Center for American Progress, “LGBTQ adults are 1.6 times more likely to report food insecurity in the past year than non-... Read More
Columbine High School, April 20, 1999 - 15 dead, 21 injured Virginia Tech University, April 16, 2007 - 33 dead, 23 injured Oikos University, April 2, 2012 - 7 dead, 3 injured Sandy Hook Elementary School, December 14, 2012 - 28 dead, 2 injured Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, February 14, 2018 - 17 dead, 14 injured Will the list continue? On March 24, just over a month after a Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student used his legal semi-automatic rifle on his teachers and fellow classmates, Reform Jewish women joined together in every major city in North America to... Read More