Recently, The Associated, in partnership with The Elijah Cummings Youth Program (ECYP), Associated Black Charities (ABC), and the Baltimore Jewish Council (BJC), launched Baltimore’s inaugural cohort of the Rekindle Fellowship. This important initiative aims to foster deeper relationships and collaboration between Black, Jewish and Black Jewish leaders.
The goal is to ignite a new era of cooperation and understanding through open, challenging dialogues and direct, face-to-face interactions to build bridges of understanding between communities.
We asked two participants, Mikkyo McDaniel and Sarah Grebow to reflect on the experience and what comes next. Here is what they had to say.
Mikkyo McDaniel
I signed up for the Rekindle Fellowship because I wanted to challenge myself to understand diverse cultures and perspectives, especially those I hadn’t had much exposure to. I expected the experience to offer opportunities for deep, meaningful conversations with individuals who could expand my worldview.
Specifically, I wanted to learn more about the lived experiences of Jewish people, particularly in the context of growing up in Baltimore. Although we lived in the same city—sometimes just a block away—there was a barrier. We never really got to know one another or asked to learn about each other’s lives. I hoped this fellowship would deepen my understanding of a culture that I’d only heard about in passing, like when people told their kids not to go near the Park Heights Jewish side.
What I learned was truly eye-opening. Through coffee dates and conversations, I gained a deeper understanding of the Jewish community’s unique experiences and challenges.
I was surprised by how similar our human experiences are, despite the differences in our backgrounds. I came to realize how easy it is to stay in our cultural bubbles without ever reaching out to those who may be living just around the corner.Â
