A new perspective on avoiding stereotypes presented at BBMS

Kendell Pinkney is a playwright and producer. He’s also a rabbi. And a black man.

“But what am I really,” he recently asked a group of Blind Brook Middle School students during a special assembly. “I am a storyteller.”

It is something, he said, that each one has in us and if we share our own personal stories, we can begin to not only get to know one another but begin to break down stereotypes.

His story began growing up as an evangelical Christian in Texas. While in college he began to question his faith and if it aligned with his personal values. Upon much reflection, he realized that it did not, and he converted to Judaism. 

“Our stories are the things that matter,” Rabbi Pinkney said. “They connect us with others and makes for a better society.”

His identity has often been questioned, he admits that when people realize he is Jewish, people he has just met can be confused. However, sharing stories of others like him, Jewish historical figures who share his race, for instance, help others understand he is not the anomaly people may think he is.

He briefly shared the history of other Jewish folks in this country, such as Luis de Torres, who came to the Americas with Christopher Columbus, and Joachim Gans, who was a resident of Roanoke.

“Jewish people have been a part of the American story since the beginning,” he said, citing other historical figures such as Emma Lazarus, Andrew Goodman and Irving Berlin. 

He shared too how people of the faith have lived throughout the world, such as the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe, the Sephardic from Spain and Portugal and the Mizrahi of North Africa.

Rabbi Pinkney shared three things with students that he says helps combat antisemitism and hate. 

The first is to share their personal stories, where they come from and their experiences shape who they are. Secondly, he encourages students to be curious about others and their stories, and finally, connect your story to the stories of others.

“I am connected to my Jewishness and my blackness,” the rabbi said. “And my blackness to my Jewishness.”

Rabbi Pinkney presided over an exercise he had the students do—find a friend and explain to them the story of their name. When the group reconvened, some students shared what they had told their classmate, and realized that several of them had similar stories when it came to their name—they were named after a family member, often people misspell or mispronounce their name, some liked their name, others did not.

“Telling our stories connects us, helps us create community,” Rabbi Pinkney said. “I hope you are curious and learn more about each other’s stories,” he encouraged them.