Stepping into the Divide: Building Coalitions to Deepen Relationships

Established in 1984, the National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) is an international leadership organization that provides training in diversity, equity, and inclusion in community organizations, K-12 schools, college and university campuses, corporations and law enforcement. Beginning in 2020, NCBI launched its first campus antisemitism project, a three-day intensive training followed by monthly support meetings led by NCBI leaders. Through collaboration between campus rabbis and campus administrative staff, both Jewish and non-Jewish students, faculty, and staff gained skills to recognize and address various forms of oppression, particularly centered around antisemitism. Conceived in partnership with the Nathan Cummings Foundation, the Luce Foundation’s grant will support NCBI’s current efforts to expand its campus programs “to meet the enormous need of the moment for having difficult conversations and building coalitions and relationships across many diverse faiths and identities.” At the heart of NCBI’s newly formed campus programming will be an exploration of the intersections of antisemitism, racism, and Islamophobia.