COLLEGE TOWN, FL — Black and Jewish students from Florida State University and Florida A&M University gathered for a Unity Dinner in Tallahassee to combat antisemitism and anti-Black racism on campus.
WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:
The "Unity Dinner" brought Black and Jewish students together to create space for open dialogue, shared stories, and conversations about combating antisemitism and anti-Black racism on college campuses.
The event is part of a nationwide tour organized by the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate, along with UNCF and Hillel International.
Dani Lavine, Senior Director of Social Impact for Hillel International, said the dinner is designed to spark lasting relationships, encouraging students to continue the conversations long after Wednesday night's event.
"Our communities will be stronger. All of us are the Tallahassee community, the Jewish community. The black community We are all strengthened by understanding each other," Lavine said.
Lavine said organizers want students to leave with more than just a single shared experience.
"The Legacy of support and connection between the black and Jewish community is huge, and that's what we're building on…But I want them to leave feeling like this was just the first course. This was an entry point where we took down the barriers. We brought them on a bus here, we opened a beautiful space, we created discussion cards that they can follow to get to know each other, but now what do they wanna do for their next course? How do they want to stay connected? We have some funding to support them so they can plan what they want," Lavine said.
Students say the most meaningful moments happened in the conversations between them.
"Bringing two groups of people who don't have very similar backgrounds, but they have an experience of hate that isn't necessary or warranted in any way. I think it means a lot, and meeting new people is just so helpful," Kyla Jewelcoaxum, a second-year FAMU student, said.
Others say the conversations challenged assumptions and highlighted common ground across faiths and backgrounds.
"People here tonight mention that not everything is monolithic and we talked about core principles that may be in Christianity versus core principles that may be in Judaism and how all of those different things are connect so I think tonight specifically we were able to put that into action we talk we had discussions we had panels we had questions and we honestly made friends and I think that we're gonna do it again too," Mikayla Rosenwasser, a second-year FSU student and Marketing Director at Hillel FSU, said.
Students say the biggest takeaway is that unity isn't built in one night, but this was a meaningful start.
Organizers say they hope these types of conversations continue on both campuses, with more student-led collaboration in the months ahead.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website.
Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.
