Juju Chang to discuss why ‘it’s not OK to hate people’ at Alliance event

As we hear more and more antisemitic messages and tropes, Juju Chang’s message couldn’t be more relevant: The “Nightline” co-anchor has much to say about antisemitism as well as about Asian hate.

Chang, who has a foot in both the Jewish and the Asian communities, says there are strong parallels between antisemitism and Asian hate: Both target marginalized populations for discrimination, hate and violence.

Chang has focused much of her 35-year career as a journalist on giving a voice to the voiceless, she said in a recent Zoom interview. She has focused on highlighting people who are underrepresented in many ways.

“That’s culminated in my AAPI [Asian-American Pacific Islander] activism,” she said.

It’s also led her to such projects as the 2021 ABC News Live special, “Stop The Hate: The Rise In Violence Against Asian Americans,” which she co-anchored.

“AAPI hate reflects the kind of scapegoating that has happened in recent history and throughout Jewish history,” she said.

Chang will discuss her experiences on Nov. 20, at the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island’s Annual Campaign Thank You event. Audience members will be encouraged to submit questions for her at the end of the interview-style conversation.

Born in Korea, Chang was raised an atheist in California. The Stanford University graduate said, “I came to New York with advice from my antisemitic father to ‘watch out for the Jews,’ ” she said. “I promptly fell in love with a nice Jewish man. I told him I’d never convert.”

But after seven years of courtship and five years of marriage, Chang eventually did convert. She is married to Neal Shapiro, a television executive. The couple has three sons, whom they have raised Jewish.

Chang has spent much of her career at ABC News and has been recognized for her work with multiple Emmys, Gracies, a DuPont, a Murrow and Peabody Awards.

She says that solidarity is the way to fight the rising hate.

“We have to stand up and say it’s not OK to hate people,” she said. “The vast majority of Americans have to stand up and say it’s not all right.”

Chang said education is a part of it, too. Curriculums have to change so we can all tell our stories, she said.

Chang’s involvement in the Jewish community has shown her the changing face of Judaism. She has been active in her synagogue and with other organizations, such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

“In my lifetime, we’ve seen membership ranks plummet, but Jewish identity has risen, especially among unaffiliated Jews. How do you engage these folks?” she said.

Chang will speak Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Center, 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence. The program will also be livestreamed.

This event, co-chaired by Lisa and Eric Shorr, is a thank you for donors of any amount to the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island’s 2023 Annual Community Campaign. If you haven’t already made a gift, there is still an opportunity to do so.

To register for the Nov. 20 program, go to https://www.jewishallianceri.org/juju-chang. If you wish to view the event virtually, a link will be sent after registration. For more information or to make a gift, contact Michelle Gallagher at 401-421-4111, ext. 165.

FRAN OSTENDORF (fostendorf@jewishallianceri.org) is the editor of Jewish Rhode Island.