About AJC's Atlanta Black/Jewish Coalition
In 1982, a group of concerned citizens from Atlanta's Black and Jewish communities came together to campaign for the renewal of the Voting Rights Act. The drive to renew one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation in U.S. history reinvigorated the bond between the two communities. Those involved decided to create a coalition to ensure that open dialogue and partnership between the Black and Jewish communities would continue in Atlanta.
Today, AJC's Atlanta Black/Jewish Coalition has emerged as a central platform for education, outreach and advocacy. As participation reaches new heights, the Coalition continues to build on its original mission by providing a forum for meaningful dialogue and action.
Mission Statement:
Increase the understanding of, interactions amongst, and authentic relationships between those identifying with the Black, Jewish, and Jews of Color communities.
AJC's Atlanta Black/Jewish Coalition advances its mission by:
- Responding with definitive education, advocacy, and action to issues of concern
- Providing opportunities to combat white supremacy and advance voting rights
- Expressing support for the critical issues of each other’s communities
- Creating awareness for the work of the Atlanta Black/Jewish Coalition
Initiatives of AJC Atlanta's Black/Jewish Coalition
- Black/Jewish Teen Initiative (juniors and seniors in high school)
- Marvin C. Goldstein Black/Jewish Project Understanding Emerging Leaders Retreat (ages 25-39)
- Black/Jewish Project Understanding for Gen X (ages 40-55)
Information about the Spring 2026 Project Understanding retreat will be released in Fall 2025. Sign up for emails above to receive a notification when the application is released.
2025 Black/Jewish Coalition Co-Chairs
Che Watkins
Che D. Wat
Ms. Watkins has more than 34 years of experience in external affairs, public policy, business development, community engagement and development and finance. Ms. Watkins spent more than four years with the Metro Atlanta Chamber as Vice President of External Affairs where she leveraged her skills to develop relationships with local government officials, metro area Chambers, regional and community nonprofits, corporate leaders and other community voices. She also managed the Chamber’s Greater Grady Task Force and served as Education and Campaign Manager for the 2012 Metro Atlanta Transportation Referendum that executed a $9 million voter education and advocacy effort to draw 300,000 voters to the polls to pass an $8 billion transportation referendum for the metro Atlanta region.
Ms. Watkins began her career with J.P. Morgan & Co. in Accounting before moving into client interfacing leadership positions at Bank of America and Wachovia.
Ms. Watkins holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Spelman College and an MBA from New York University.
Pam Rosenthal
Pam 
Pam began her career as a marketing specialist and meeting planner and continued to gain knowledge, tools, and experience through her professional and volunteer work with several Atlanta-area companies and non-profit organizations.
She is past Board President of Leadership Sandy Springs and previously served on the board of Family Promise of North Fulton/DeKalb. She currently serves on the board of American Jewish Committee, Atlanta Chapter as well as Visit Sandy Springs, the Destination Marketing Organization for the City of Sandy Springs, Georgia. She is also a member of Meeting Professionals International, Georgia Chapter, the Atlanta Independent Planners Alliance, and the Atlanta Black/Jewish Coalition. She earned her Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation from the Convention Industry Council in 2015.
Pam is married to her husband, Mark, and they have two adult children and a precious shih tzu.
Sarah Fields
Sarah Fields works in the field of technology and digital product management at Delta Air Lines. She currently manages the internal website that employees use to book their travel all over the world. She has been working at Delta for 10 years, after previously working in advertising and strategy agencies here in Atlanta.
Professionally, Sarah is passionate about building new and improved digital experiences for all users as well as helping others to discover career opportunities within the technology space. She has participated in hack-a-thons to develop websites for non-profits with the 48in48 organization, as well as mentoring and career development programs at The Covenant House and University of Florida Career Connections Center. Personally, Sarah has also been an advocate for equality and the fight against antisemitism. She has participated in the Glass Leadership Institute at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and lobbied representatives both locally and in Washington, DC to support legislation codifying hate crime laws.
In 2019, Sarah participated in Project Understanding and thanks to those connections have continued to be engaged in advocacy work here in Atlanta and further the mission of the Black/Jewish Coalition. She has been a part of planning and steering committees for Project Understanding and BJC over the last few years.
In all kinds of weather, especially after a championship-winning season, Sarah is a proud graduate of the University of Florida, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations. She also earned her Master of Business Administration from Emory University.
In her spare time, Sarah enjoys racking up the passport stamps, taking long walks with her best-est boy Franklin and spoiling her first and only (so far) nephew.
