Operation Understanding DC
Hannah Wolfman-Arent, 17
Washington, DC

Hannah (on right) and friends

Racism: It’s a word loaded with hate and ignorance, and despite what many want to think, it’s a word that still affects our culture. But Hannah Wolfman-Arent, a Jewish high school senior and a member of Operation Understanding DC (OUDC), is working to eradicate that word from our vocabulary. OUDC is an organization that believes we must have a firm grounding in our past in order to move forward in our present. Its “mission is to build a generation of community leaders who will work to eradicate racism, anti-Semitism and all forms of discrimination.”

Each year, Washington, D.C. African-American and Jewish high school students in their junior year are chosen to participate in OUDC’s year-long, community leadership program which consists of “workshops, meetings, lectures, and activities where teens learn about the religion, history, and culture of African Americans and Jews.” Teenagers like Hannah make speeches and lead diversity workshops at churches, synagogues and schools, hoping to send a ripple of understanding and change throughout their communities. Hannah took some time out of her busy schedule to talk with Teen Voices about her experiences with anti-Semitism and racism, and how being a part of OUDC has shown her the importance of cross-cultural understanding.

Teen Voices: How has racism affected you personally?
Hannah Wolfman-Arent: I think about racism all the time. In that sense, it affects me very personally. The way that racism affects me is so different from a person who must deal with daily discrimination based on the color of their skin. While I had the opportunity to mature and learn about racism when I wanted to, people of color do not have that luxury. It is continually difficult for me to find a way to help break down this unfair balance of power between whites and people of color.

TV: How has anti-Semitism affected you personally?
Hannah: I have not had many personal experiences with anti-Semitism. When it comes to my religious beliefs and cultural identity, I have always been positively received by friends, classmates, teachers, and everyone I generally interact with. I am, however, affected by the anti-Semitism that I learn about both in history books and from my friends. I was talking to my mom recently, and she said something about the state of anti-Semitism today that made a lot of sense to me. When I said that I didn’t think there would be a Jewish president anytime soon, but that I didn’t feel there needed to be one to solve any Jewish-related political issues, she said she agreed, but that there was another problem: A Jewish president couldn’t be elected in our current political and social climate.

TV: How are racism and anti-Semitism related?
Hannah: They are both forms of discrimination, and systems of inequality that are placed on groups of people simply because of what they look like, their ethnicity, or their beliefs.

TV: Why do you think it’s important for both African-American and Jewish high school students to be involved in Operation Understanding D.C.?
Hannah: It’s important to bring diversity to a group that is working to eradicate discrimination. We must have a variety of experiences and opinions to grasp the magnitude of our society’s issues, and to understand how we can work together across cultural lines. In OUDC, we specifically bring together black and Jewish teens because the two groups have similar painful histories of discrimination, but also histories of determination and survival. There have also been periods of time, in particular during the Civil Rights Movement, when Jews and blacks have worked together for justice. We hope to create a powerful relationship between our communities so that we can continue this work.

TV: Tell us about your experience with City at Peace.
Hannah: City at Peace is another organization for youth in the D.C. metropolitan area. Each year, 50-70 D.C. youth ages 13 through 19 make up the racially and culturally diverse City at Peace cast. Using non-violent conflict-resolution as our model, we learn about racism, sexism, heterosexism, adultism*, and other issues that affect our lives. We are also trained in acting, singing, and dancing, so that by the end of each school year we can produce an original musical based on our own lives. As someone with a background in theater and a passion for cross-cultural learning, for me, using the performing arts to create social change is the perfect combination.

City at Peace has been, and continues to be, a physically and emotionally demanding experience, but one that is well worth it. It’s difficult for me now to remember how I used to view social structures because I think about issues of racism and sexism so differently today.

TV: How do you think we can improve our cities’ communities?
Hannah: The imbalances of power and injustices that plague our cities’ communities are based in ignorance, and what we really need to do is learn about each other. The programs in which I am involved are heavy on dialogue and cross-cultural understanding, so it’s clear how I’ve developed this opinion. But learning about my peers’ communities and cultures has helped me appreciate both similarities and differences, and I think it can do the same for many. It’s important for young people to unlearn the stereotypes that dictate who we are supposed to be and who we can become. And then, hopefully, this awesome new generation of people can create a more just society.

TV: How has being a teen girl influenced your passion for creating awareness and fueling change?
Hannah: Both OUDC and City at Peace have made me really pumped up to empower youth. It’s awesome what people my age can do. I have always been passionate about feminism. My hyphenated last name, which includes both my mother’s and father’s last names, displays how I have been brought up with the firm opinion that women and men are equal. Youth and women are often not taken as seriously as they should be, and part of my passion comes from wanting to prove what teenage girls can do in our world.

TV: How has your experience with OUDC influenced you?
Hannah: Everything that I’ve experienced in OUDC has inspired me. The activists we spoke with during our Summer Civil Rights Journey are the most inspirational people I have ever met. Many of these people put their lives on the line for the sake of the Civil Rights Movement and equality, and we heard stories of persevering through police brutality, extreme doubt, and legal battles to achieve justice. Also inspiring are my 30 incredible OUDC classmates who continue to learn with me, teach me, and challenge my beliefs. It’s pretty impossible for me to feel this inspiration and not do anything with it.

TV: What do you like to do in your free time?
Hannah: In my free time, I drink Clementine Izze and create jewelry with the leftover bottle caps, think about my next scrumptious salad creation at Chop’t in DC, make birthday cards like it’s my job, watch “Grey’s Anatomy,” bake the secret family oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe that makes a big batch of 110, go to the Farmer’s Market, and eat avocados.

TV: What do you see yourself doing in the future?
Hannah: Currently, I tell college admissions officers that I am “undecided” in terms of a major, and I’m predicting that I will be undecided on a career for some time. I love the humanities and the social sciences, specifically writing and learning how people interact and relate. I hope that someday I can combine these academic interests with my passion for justice to create a great, fulfilling career.

*Adultism: discrimination against young people.