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More than 50 youth recently participated in a week-long Nike summer basketball camp at the JCC of Greater Baltimore featuring educational workshops facilitated by the Elijah Cummings Youth Program (ECYP) and Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM).
The camp was run by the Chase Your Dreams Academy (CYDA), led by former WNBA and University of Maryland star and Olympic gold medalist Sonia Chase.
The participants, ranging in age from 8-17, were largely drawn from the local Jewish and Black communities.
The daily program integrated Nike basketball instruction with leadership development sessions and interactive workshops on topics including conflict resolution, peacebuilding, and antisemitism and racism awareness, with an emphasis on the power of sports to strengthen solidarity and unity between peoples of different backgrounds.
Younger campers were taught to slow down before jumping to conclusions and encouraged to remain curious and ask questions. Older participants explored the difference between debate and dialogue in greater depth and focused on more advanced communication skills, including active listening.
“We are creating transformative spaces where young people learn empathy, trust, and cooperation, before prejudice ever takes root,” said CAM African-American Alliance Manager Dazia Wallerson, who coordinated CAM’s involvement in the camp. “Initiatives like the CYDA camp demonstrate how sports and community partnerships can build lasting defenses against antisemitism and racism.”
“Every young person here and every relationship forged is the next chapter of the historic Black-Jewish alliance,” Wallerson added.
The bonds between the Black and Jewish communities have long played a critical role in advancing civil rights and combating discrimination across America.
CAM’s collaboration with African American partners — including through the Robert M. Beren Bridge Builders Fellowship, whose inaugural student cohort will soon be announced, as well as unity forums over the past year in Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Atlanta — is aimed rejuvenating those ties to address common challenges and motivate a new generation of leaders to one again stand together against hate.
For additional information, please contact CAM African-American Alliance Manager Dazia Wallerson: dazia@combatantisemitism.org
Read more:
The Torch We Must Carry Forward Together: A ‌Juneteenth ‌Reflection
Robert M. Beren Bridge Builders Student Fellowship Program Launched to Revitalize Black-Jewish Ties
