Black/Jewish Justice Alliance

The Black/Jewish Justice Alliance (BJJA) is a faith-rooted group fighting for economic opportunity and racial justice. CLUE has helped rebuild the historic social justice partnership between African-American and Jewish leaders, working with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Southern California (SCLC-SC), Dignity and Power Now, Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice, and the Youth Justice Coalition. While there are plenty of differences, those should not dictate coalition partnerships. BJJA is proud to focus on the work rather than intergroup politics. 

BJJA secured more than 50 rabbinical signatures on a letter to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors demanding a Civilian Oversight Commission for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, established in 2016. The coalition convinced Inspector General Max Huntsman to support subpoena power and to demand transparency for the commission, though that remains a goal. In November 2016, BJJA member Rabbi Heather Miller was appointed to that commission. 

As this coalition convened around issues of ending gun violence, checking law enforcement and over-policing of communities, and ending the mass jailing of people of color it has already helped make the vision of a more equitable Los Angeles a reality. It is now considering issues such as the technology of body cameras, the fight for strong public sector jobs, anti-discrimination language in the private sector, just workforce development, transparency in law enforcement, and local hiring provisions.