After a powerful address by Dr. Homayra Ziad at the BHC Sisterhood's Interfaith Institute earlier this year, I decided to continue to pursue the stories of Muslims making their way in a world that regards them with suspicion. Dr. Ziad's talk was compelling, in part, because it skillfully wove personal stories with a sociological and historical analysis of the geopolitical reality that created Al Quaeda and ISIS. Since my goal is always greater empathy, I decided to assign an

On Tuesday March 7, a small group gathered at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation to discuss two essays by our fellow-Baltimorean, D. Watkins. Together, we read Stoop Stories and Too Poor for Pop Culture. Those of us gathered that evening were all relatively privileged--middle to upper-middle class, white skin, cis gendered. We all noted the stark difference between the Baltimore we know and the one that Watkins describes in his essays. Our group spent a good deal of time talking