To combat racism and antisemitism, John Eaves empowers college students

Years before Hamas fighters stormed Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, John Eaves saw a rise in antisemitism in the United States. He saw racism against American Black people, too. As a member of both the Black and Jewish communities, he couldn’t turn his eyes and ears away from what affected him most and troubled his spirit.

So, the former chairman of the Fulton County commission in Georgia, and current senior instructor at Spelman College in Atlanta, thought of a way to fix the problem.

In 2021, he started Black and Jewish Leaders of Tomorrow because the once strong relationship between the two groups – particularly solid during the Civil Rights Movement era – was eroding. College students across the country, who either identify as he does, as members of both groups, or one or the other, come together to learn, ask questions, and consider ideas to combat the tide or racism and antisemitism. 

“It checked a lot of boxes of what I believe in as a Jewish student but also someone who’s done a lot of political organizing and someone who’s interested in policy work,” says Emma Friese, a student at Emory University. She says she jumped at the chance to participate because she thought it was a cool way to meet new people.

Years before Hamas fighters stormed Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing hundreds of civilians, John Eaves saw a rise in antisemitism in the United States. He saw racism against American Black people, too. As a member of both the Black and Jewish communities, he couldn’t turn his eyes and ears away from what affected him most and troubled his spirit.

So, the former chairman of the Fulton County commission in Georgia, and current senior instructor at Spelman College in Atlanta, thought of a way to fix the problem.

In 2021, he started Black and Jewish Leaders of Tomorrow (BJLOT) because the once strong relationship between the two groups – particularly solid during the Civil Rights Movement era – was eroding. College students across the country, who either identify as he does, as members of both groups, or one or the other, come together to learn, ask questions, and consider ideas to combat the tide or racism and antisemitism. 

“It checked a lot of boxes of what I believe in as a Jewish student but also someone who’s done a lot of political organizing and someo