A queer, Black, female Rabbi's fight for racial equity in Judaism

Elon, NC -- "People tell me I'm not Jewish because I'm Black."

Rabbi Sandra Lawson is one of the world's first openly queer Black female rabbis.

Having faced discrimination in her profession, Rabbi Lawson is helping pave the way for Jewish people of color.

She views her presence in leadership roles in the Jewish community as representing a tangible example of racial justice.

With at least one Black student in every rabbinical school in the country, she believes representation in the clergy is long overdue. It is her prerogative to do what she describes as her part, for the next generation of rabbis. This is her story in her own words.