Remember the scene in School Ties when the main character, David Greene (Brendan Fraser), takes off his Star of David necklace and hides it in his dresser before starting school? I saw that scene when I was in middle school, and in that moment I realized that I could hide my Jewish identity if I ever needed or wanted to. Then in the next moment, it hit me that most black people couldn’t do this if they wanted to avoid racism.

About a decade later, I participated in my first “privilege line” activity at a diversity training. During the debrief of this activity, a black college student shared his experience of feeling violated and unfairly treated when followed by a police officer as he shopped at a grocery store. Other people of color in the room nodded in understanding. I, on the other hand, was shocked, disturbed, and reminded of my privilege. I have never heard any of my white friends or neighbors recount a similar experience.

As I continued to learn more about US history and hear people’s experiences, I’ve learned that race matters. Race matters in every aspect of our life, such as housing, education, healthcare, jobs, voting, and law enforcement.

This past weekend, I attended ARC’s Facing Race National Conference on behalf of NCJW. I was proud to be part of this diverse racial justice community of 1400. I left the conference with many notes to follow up on, a list of readings, and much to reflect about. Here are some of the highlights of what I learned: When working on economic justice and racial justice, it is critical to take an intersectional approach, which acknowledges that individuals are often affected by multiple forms of oppression based on their varied identities of race, sexual orientation, gender, etc.; films that provide context and experience about racial justice are useful tools to start thoughtful conversations in communities; more white people are needed in the racial justice movement; and a woman’s ability to exercise her reproductive rights in the US has been greatly influenced by her race, class, and immigration status.

Though Thanksgiving is behind us, it’s never too late to give thanks. I am thankful that I am part of the NCJW community, a community that is working for racial justice through our social change work. For almost 120 years, NCJW has been committed to improving the lives of ALL women, children, and families. We are proud to be on the frontlines of the reproductive justice work not only with our faith-based partners, but with women of color – our friends from organizations like the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, SisterSong, and the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum.

I’ll leave you one final message that was repeated during the Facing Race Conference. Remember that all are worthy of compassion, including oneself, and that diversity is beautiful. Only through love and collectiveness can we create change and bring about a more just and free world.