The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day last week with a series of educational initiatives emphasizing dialogue, shared values, and the enduring alliance between the Black and Jewish communities.
The commemoration began with a family-focused program in Maryland and continued with a broader public campaign highlighting the historic role Jews played alongside African Americans in the US civil rights movement.
CAM’s African-American Alliance Manager, Dazia Wallerson, took part in “MLK Day with PJ Library & PJ Our Way,” a special program held at the Rosenbloom Owings Mills Jewish Community Center near Baltimore. Organized by the Jewish Connection Network in partnership with PJ Library and PJ Our Way, the event brought together families and children for an interactive exploration of Dr. King’s legacy.
The program was designed to introduce young participants to the values that shaped King’s leadership, with an emphasis on justice, empathy, courage, and responsibility. The morning opened with a reading of Change Sings, followed by a guided discussion linking King’s teachings to core Jewish ethical concepts such as tikkun olam (repairing the world), dor l’dor (responsibility from generation to generation), and the inherent dignity of every human being.
Children also watched a short Sesame Street segment highlighting King’s message before taking part in an arts-based activity in which they expressed the values most meaningful to them and how they could apply those values in their own lives.
“This program creates space to talk with kids about what it really means to show up for one another in real, actionable ways,” Wallerson said. “Dr. King didn’t just challenge systemic injustice, he asked us to look inward and consider how each of us can be a force for understanding, compassion, care, and courage in everyday life.”
Alongside the in-person program, CAM marked the day with a series of educational posts on social media underscoring the deep historical ties between the Black and Jewish communities in the United States.
The campaign highlighted the fact that Dr. King did not lead the Civil Rights Movement alone. Jewish leaders, rabbis, students, and activists marched beside him, advocated for civil rights legislation, and faced violence in the struggle for equality. Among those highlighted were Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who famously marched with King in Selma in 1965, and Rabbi Joachim Prinz, who addressed the March on Washington in 1963.
CAM also emphasized King’s outspoken rejection of antisemitism and his warning that hatred against Jews ultimately threatened all minorities. The posts noted the real dangers faced by Jewish civil rights activists, including the 1964 murders of Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner by the Ku Klux Klan during Freedom Summer in Mississippi.
Through both its educational programming and public outreach, CAM said it sought to underscore that honoring King’s legacy requires more than commemoration.
“Dr. King’s message was never meant to be frozen in time,” the organization said in a statement. “It demands ongoing engagement, education, and moral courage, especially at a moment when antisemitism, racism, and extremism are again on the rise.”
By investing in youth education and reaffirming the historic bonds between the Black and Jewish communities, CAM emphasized that King’s vision of justice and shared responsibility remains a living call, one that each generation must choose to uphold.