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A dozen mayors from across Alabama gathered at Selma University on Saturday for a collaborative dialogue and brainstorming forum organized by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) on cities-oriented approaches to tackling rising Jew-hatred.
The roundtable coincided with official 60th anniversary commemorations of “Bloody Sunday” on Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge, a key turning point in the history of the Civil Rights Movement that led to the passage of the U.S. Voting Rights Act.
Participant’s in Saturday’s event — moderated by CAM Chief Government Affairs Officer Lisa Katz — included Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed, Selma Mayor James Perkins, Prichard Mayor Jimmie Gardner, Tuskegee Mayor Tony Haygood, Hurtsboro Mayor Vivian Covington, Akron Mayor Christopher Collins, Gordonville Mayor Orbuty Ozier, Union Springs Mayor Roderick Clark, Colony Mayor Curtis Johnson, Executive Director of the Alabama Conference of Black Mayors and former Slocomb Mayor Vickie Moore, and former Mayor of Clarksburg (West Virginia) and former president of the National League of Cities Jim Hunt.
“The bonds linking Blacks and Jews go back generations, and both communities have supported each other in critical times of need, when facing persecution and discrimination,” Katz said in an AL.com op-ed. “Today, with hate crimes again on the rise and voices of intolerance proliferating, Blacks and Jews are feeling threatened in ways that cannot be acceptable in 21st century America.”
“Given this dire reality, we must recognize that our fight is the same — a fight against hate, extremism, and bigotry in their many contemporary variations,” she emphasized. “Antisemitism and racism are real, and each must be confronted without qualifications or double standards.”
“Mayors have unique contributions to make to this collective effort,” Katz added.
Mayor Reed stated, “Hate has no place in Alabama. As mayors, we have a responsibility to stand united against antisemitism and all forms of bigotry. The roundtable discussion, hosted by the Combat Antisemitism Movement, reaffirms our commitment to building inclusive, not exclusive, communities. Together, we will continue to educate against hate and ensure that Montgomery, and all of Alabama, remains a place of unity and progress.”
The forum was the second in a series of regional follow-ups — the first was last month in New Mexico — to the 2024 North American Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism in Beverly Hills, California, where both Reed and Moore were keynote speakers.
A main focus of discussion on Saturday was CAM’s new Municipal Antisemitism Action Index. The Index, originally unveiled at the Beverly Hills summit three months ago, is a first-of-its-kind tool designed to assess and rank the effectiveness of city governments in combating antisemitism and protecting Jewish residents, offering municipalities measurable criteria and concrete steps to enhance their responses to hate incidents.
During Saturday’s exchanges, the mayors shared experiences, explored best practices, and devised actionable strategies to combat antisemitism, including:
— Practical policy takeaways that can be implemented locally.
— Increased mayoral engagement in future CAM initiatives.
— Commitments to officially proclaim and celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) and adopt and implement the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism.
While in Alabama, Katz also met with President and CEO of the Urban League Marc Morial and a Charlotte Black/JEwish Alliance delegation, and attended Sunday services at the local Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church.
