March For Racial Justice Seeks Ways To ‘Include’ Jews — Despite Yom Kippur Date
The March for Racial Justice, scheduled for Yom Kippur, is looking to adjust its schedule to accommodate Jewish marchers.
The date of the march will not be changed, but related events may be held on that Saturday night or the next day.
In a statement Wednesday, organizers of the civil rights march said that scheduling the event on Yom Kippur, which falls this year on Sept. 30, “was a grave and hurtful oversight on our part. It was unintentional and we are sorry for this pain as well as for the time it has taken for us to respond. Our mistake highlights the need for our communities to form stronger relationships.”
Organizers said they are “working on ways to include the Jewish community,” either after sundown Saturday when Yom Kippur ends, or on the next day. The main march, the statement said, will continue to be held on Sept. 30 to coincide with the anniversary of the 1919 massacre of hundreds of blacks near Elaine, Arkansas.
Organizers said they also are seeking a permit for a “sister march” in New York City on Oct. 1.
Critics of the march’s scheduling, including the actress Mayim Bialik, said many Jews will not be able to take part on the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
