Group Description

The African American/Jewish Friendship Group, Inc. was formed by Gerald (Jerry) and Merle Sternberg in 1990 to improve race relations in Dane County. Over the years, the organization has grown and thrived with lively and honest discussions about the Group’s respective histories and current and continuing problems that impede progress in race relations and the quest for true equality within Dane County and the United States.

The Friendship Group has been involved in several projects to promote the improvement of race relations, equality, equity, and inclusion. The Education Committee has taken on one of the major projects that have been established.

The goal of the Education Committee is to identify resources to support the development of an accurate, integrative, and comprehensive social studies and U.S. history curriculum for K through 12 grades, with a focus on the critical role African Americans have played in the country’s development. To that end, the Education Committee created a proposal in 2019, "Reframing American History”, to share with Wisconsin school districts. The research and resources will be presented in the new DPI WISELearn platform to provide easy access for all teachers. Additionally, the Education Committee has been instrumental in the creation and promotion of legislation for integrating African American history within the K through 12 Social Studies and U.S. History curriculum in all Wisconsin schools. Working in partnership with one of the State Representatives, LRB 0402: "The African American History Education Act", also known as Assembly Bill 273, was introduced.