Clergy and Jewish leaders in Michigan are forming a coalition to tackle racism and anti-Semitism. The Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit and Vicinity and the Jewish Community Relations Council/AJC on Tuesday will announce the formation of the Coalition for Black and Jewish Unity. Pastors' council president the Rev. Deedee Coleman says the coalition will keep open communication between black and Jewish leaders as tensions rise across the U.S. with an increase in hate speech and racial confrontations.
Jewish Community Relations Council/JAC Executive Director David Kurzmann says a white nationalist protest in August in Charlottesville, Virginia, was a "wakeup call." Kurzmann says "we woke up to major news broadcasts of neo-Nazis walking down the street ... some people thought it had gone away."
