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Why local media are essential to telling stories like Jared Armstrong\u2019s\u2014
\nwhere community, connection, and courage meet\u00a0<\/em><\/h2>\nA Vision Born from Two Worlds<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nWhen I first learned about JAB Camp, it was through a friend in the Jewish community who knew I was searching for programs that tackled the complex issues surrounding antisemitism. She told me about Jared Armstrong\u2014a professional basketball player, educator, and proud Black Jewish man\u2014whose vision was simple and powerful: to use basketball to break down walls of ignorance and hate.<\/p>\n
More Than a Game<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nJAB Camp<\/a> looks like an ordinary sports camp. Kids show up in sneakers and shorts, ready to play. But once the games start, it becomes clear that something bigger is happening. Between drills and scrimmages, young people from different backgrounds learn to see one another not as labels or stereotypes but as teammates. The court becomes a place where they talk openly about race, faith, and the things that divide us\u2014and see what unites them instead.<\/p>\nRedefining Identity and Belonging<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nArmstrong created the camp because of his experiences navigating two worlds that people often think don\u2019t overlap. Many are surprised when he says he is both Black and Jewish. That reaction reveals a quiet myth: that Jewish identity is white, and that Black identity can\u2019t include Jewish faith. That misunderstanding doesn\u2019t just get facts wrong\u2014it erases people.<\/p>\n
At JAB Camp, identity isn\u2019t something to defend; it\u2019s something to share. Kids learn that being different isn\u2019t a barrier to belonging\u2014it\u2019s the beginning of friendship. Guest speakers\u2014athletes, rabbis, and civic leaders\u2014join the camp to discuss respect, faith, and how to stand up against hate and bring those lessons home.<\/p>\n
Small Moments, Big Change<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nSince its founding in Philadelphia, JAB Camp has reached over a thousand children through summer sessions and community programs. Participants show stronger teamwork, curiosity about other cultures, and a willingness to challenge prejudice. But the real proof shows up in small, human moments: a Black teenager asking a Jewish camper about Shabbat, or a group of kids deciding to call out a racist joke instead of laughing along.<\/p>\n
Few outside Philadelphia have heard of JAB Camp despite its impact. It doesn\u2019t fit into easy national headlines or social-media soundbites. It\u2019s not about crisis\u2014it\u2019s about connection. But in a time when hate crimes are rising and mistrust feels like the default, that kind of connection may be the most critical work of all.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nWhy Local Media Matters<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nThis\u00a0is where local media come in. Like that from Philadelphia\u2019s ABC6<\/a>, CBS<\/a>, and community papers, local coverage<\/a> has followed Jared\u2019s journey from player to bridge-builder. In our age of 24-hour national networks and broad-brush stories, the smaller outlets\u2014the neighborhood newspaper, the community radio show, the local website that knows every coach and every corner court\u2014carry a unique power. Research shows that local news is trusted, binds a community, and helps us understand what\u2019s happening at our doorsteps.<\/a> Local coverage picks up the cues that national media often miss: the camp where children first talk about faith and difference and the interfaith moment on a basketball court.<\/p>\nRebuilding a Frayed Bond<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
When I first learned about JAB Camp, it was through a friend in the Jewish community who knew I was searching for programs that tackled the complex issues surrounding antisemitism. She told me about Jared Armstrong\u2014a professional basketball player, educator, and proud Black Jewish man\u2014whose vision was simple and powerful: to use basketball to break down walls of ignorance and hate.<\/p>\n
More Than a Game<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nJAB Camp<\/a> looks like an ordinary sports camp. Kids show up in sneakers and shorts, ready to play. But once the games start, it becomes clear that something bigger is happening. Between drills and scrimmages, young people from different backgrounds learn to see one another not as labels or stereotypes but as teammates. The court becomes a place where they talk openly about race, faith, and the things that divide us\u2014and see what unites them instead.<\/p>\nRedefining Identity and Belonging<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nArmstrong created the camp because of his experiences navigating two worlds that people often think don\u2019t overlap. Many are surprised when he says he is both Black and Jewish. That reaction reveals a quiet myth: that Jewish identity is white, and that Black identity can\u2019t include Jewish faith. That misunderstanding doesn\u2019t just get facts wrong\u2014it erases people.<\/p>\n
At JAB Camp, identity isn\u2019t something to defend; it\u2019s something to share. Kids learn that being different isn\u2019t a barrier to belonging\u2014it\u2019s the beginning of friendship. Guest speakers\u2014athletes, rabbis, and civic leaders\u2014join the camp to discuss respect, faith, and how to stand up against hate and bring those lessons home.<\/p>\n
Small Moments, Big Change<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nSince its founding in Philadelphia, JAB Camp has reached over a thousand children through summer sessions and community programs. Participants show stronger teamwork, curiosity about other cultures, and a willingness to challenge prejudice. But the real proof shows up in small, human moments: a Black teenager asking a Jewish camper about Shabbat, or a group of kids deciding to call out a racist joke instead of laughing along.<\/p>\n
Few outside Philadelphia have heard of JAB Camp despite its impact. It doesn\u2019t fit into easy national headlines or social-media soundbites. It\u2019s not about crisis\u2014it\u2019s about connection. But in a time when hate crimes are rising and mistrust feels like the default, that kind of connection may be the most critical work of all.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nWhy Local Media Matters<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nThis\u00a0is where local media come in. Like that from Philadelphia\u2019s ABC6<\/a>, CBS<\/a>, and community papers, local coverage<\/a> has followed Jared\u2019s journey from player to bridge-builder. In our age of 24-hour national networks and broad-brush stories, the smaller outlets\u2014the neighborhood newspaper, the community radio show, the local website that knows every coach and every corner court\u2014carry a unique power. Research shows that local news is trusted, binds a community, and helps us understand what\u2019s happening at our doorsteps.<\/a> Local coverage picks up the cues that national media often miss: the camp where children first talk about faith and difference and the interfaith moment on a basketball court.<\/p>\nRebuilding a Frayed Bond<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Redefining Identity and Belonging<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nArmstrong created the camp because of his experiences navigating two worlds that people often think don\u2019t overlap. Many are surprised when he says he is both Black and Jewish. That reaction reveals a quiet myth: that Jewish identity is white, and that Black identity can\u2019t include Jewish faith. That misunderstanding doesn\u2019t just get facts wrong\u2014it erases people.<\/p>\n
At JAB Camp, identity isn\u2019t something to defend; it\u2019s something to share. Kids learn that being different isn\u2019t a barrier to belonging\u2014it\u2019s the beginning of friendship. Guest speakers\u2014athletes, rabbis, and civic leaders\u2014join the camp to discuss respect, faith, and how to stand up against hate and bring those lessons home.<\/p>\n
Small Moments, Big Change<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nSince its founding in Philadelphia, JAB Camp has reached over a thousand children through summer sessions and community programs. Participants show stronger teamwork, curiosity about other cultures, and a willingness to challenge prejudice. But the real proof shows up in small, human moments: a Black teenager asking a Jewish camper about Shabbat, or a group of kids deciding to call out a racist joke instead of laughing along.<\/p>\n
Few outside Philadelphia have heard of JAB Camp despite its impact. It doesn\u2019t fit into easy national headlines or social-media soundbites. It\u2019s not about crisis\u2014it\u2019s about connection. But in a time when hate crimes are rising and mistrust feels like the default, that kind of connection may be the most critical work of all.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nWhy Local Media Matters<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\nThis\u00a0is where local media come in. Like that from Philadelphia\u2019s ABC6<\/a>, CBS<\/a>, and community papers, local coverage<\/a> has followed Jared\u2019s journey from player to bridge-builder. In our age of 24-hour national networks and broad-brush stories, the smaller outlets\u2014the neighborhood newspaper, the community radio show, the local website that knows every coach and every corner court\u2014carry a unique power. Research shows that local news is trusted, binds a community, and helps us understand what\u2019s happening at our doorsteps.<\/a> Local coverage picks up the cues that national media often miss: the camp where children first talk about faith and difference and the interfaith moment on a basketball court.<\/p>\nRebuilding a Frayed Bond<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Since its founding in Philadelphia, JAB Camp has reached over a thousand children through summer sessions and community programs. Participants show stronger teamwork, curiosity about other cultures, and a willingness to challenge prejudice. But the real proof shows up in small, human moments: a Black teenager asking a Jewish camper about Shabbat, or a group of kids deciding to call out a racist joke instead of laughing along.<\/p>\n
Few outside Philadelphia have heard of JAB Camp despite its impact. It doesn\u2019t fit into easy national headlines or social-media soundbites. It\u2019s not about crisis\u2014it\u2019s about connection. But in a time when hate crimes are rising and mistrust feels like the default, that kind of connection may be the most critical work of all.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n This\u00a0is where local media come in. Like that from Philadelphia\u2019s ABC6<\/a>, CBS<\/a>, and community papers, local coverage<\/a> has followed Jared\u2019s journey from player to bridge-builder. In our age of 24-hour national networks and broad-brush stories, the smaller outlets\u2014the neighborhood newspaper, the community radio show, the local website that knows every coach and every corner court\u2014carry a unique power. Research shows that local news is trusted, binds a community, and helps us understand what\u2019s happening at our doorsteps.<\/a> Local coverage picks up the cues that national media often miss: the camp where children first talk about faith and difference and the interfaith moment on a basketball court.<\/p>\nWhy Local Media Matters<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Rebuilding a Frayed Bond<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n