This is a guest opinion column

Sixty years ago, on March 7, 1965, a key turning point in American history transpired in the heart of Alabama, when hundreds of peaceful demonstrators marching for Black voting rights were violently assaulted by local police and state troopers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma.

The disturbing images of mayhem quickly became a symbol of segregationist oppression. The resulting outcry led to the passage by the U.S. Congress of the Voting Rights Act just a few months later, one of the crowning achievements of the Civil Rights Movement.

The African American community was joined in the struggle for justice and equality by many allies, including Jews from across the country.

Just a year before Selma, Jewish civil rights activists Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner were brutally lynched, alongside their Black colleague James Chaney, by the KKK during a voter registration drive in Mississippi.

At Selma itself, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel walked arm-in-arm with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, in an iconic demonstration of interfaith solidarity and friendship.

The bonds linking Blacks and Jews go back generations, and both communities have supported each other in critical times of need, when facing persecution and discrimination.

Today, with hate crimes again on the rise and voices of intolerance proliferating, Blacks and Jews are feeling threatened in ways that cannot be acceptable in 21st century America.

Given this dire reality, we must recognize that our fight is the same — a fight against hate, extremism, and bigotry in their many contemporary variations. Antisemitism and racism are real, and each must be confronted without qualifications or double standards.

Our common challenges require us to once more stand as one, like Rabbi Heschel and Dr. King, and rejuvenate the relationship that has served us so well in the past.

As Chief Government Affairs Officer for the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) and former Town Supervisor of New Castle, New York, I’ve been personally moved by the many Black leaders nationwide I’ve met who are deeply committed to fighting all forms of hate, including antisemitism. This is not a one-sided relationship — it is a mutual commitment to progress, and it must be strengthened, not downplayed or ignored.

Furthermore, I am deeply familiar with the powerful role city leaders can play in fostering unity. Through advocacy, dialogue programs, coalition building, and educational and training initiatives, mayors have a unique ability to affect positive social change and improve the day-to-day lives of their constituents.

This is why I was excited to travel to Selma this past week to participate in the 60th anniversary commemorations, including a walk across the famous bridge. On Saturday, CAM will co-host with Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed the Alabama Mayors Roundtable at Selma University, where municipal leaders will convene to share best practices, devise new strategies, forge collaborative ties, and take a collective stride forward in the cities-oriented effort against antisemitism and racism.

Black and Jewish Americans have a joint responsibility to push back against hate. By having a real conversation, we can build a better future for all Americans, regardless of race, religion, or creed.

We have long marched together, and we must do so again today.

Lisa Katz is the Chief Government Affairs Officer of the Combat Antisemitism Movement and former Town Supervisor of New Castle, New York.