Skip to Main Content
  • About
  • Academics
  • Admissions
  • Campus Life
  • News & Media
  • Athletics
  • Support BC
  • Our Campus
  • Fast Facts
  • Administration
  • Initiatives, Plans and Policies
  • A Nationally Recognized Institution
  • International Education
  • Research
  • Our Past, Our Future
  • Offices and Services
  • Consumer Information
  • Contact Us
  • Schools
  • Academic Departments
  • Majors, Minors and Concentrations
  • Interdisciplinary Programs
  • Graduate Programs
  • Doctoral Programs
  • General Education
  • Honors Academy
  • Special Programs
  • International Programs and Study Abroad (IPSA)
  • Academic Resources
  • Library
  • Centers and Institutes
  • Academic Honor Societies
  • Technology
  • Research
  • Faculty
  • Course Schedules and Bulletins
  • Academic Calendar
  • Incoming Freshmen
  • Transfer Students
  • Graduate Students
  • International Students
  • Second-Degree Students
  • Other Students
  • Apply
  • Tuition, Fees and Payments
  • Financial Aid
  • Request Information
  • Visit Campus
  • Undergraduate Admissions Events
  • Graduate Admissions Events
  • BC News
  • BC In the Media
  • Research
  • Videos
  • Brooklyn College Magazine
  • Office of Communications and Marketing
  • Visit us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Email us a question
  • What the Campus Has to Offer
  • Vice President for Student Affairs
  • Division of Student Affairs
  • Student Clubs
  • Intramurals / Recreation
  • Health and Wellness
  • Orientation
  • Commencement
  • Veteran and Military Programs
  • Living in Brooklyn
  • Brooklyn College Foundation
  • Donate Now
  • Visit us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Email us a question
Brooklyn College

Brooklyn College logo
  • BC WebCentral
  • We Stand Against Hate
  • Calendar
  • Offices and Services
  • Library
  • Career Services
  • Honors Academy
  • Special Programs
  • Prospective Students
  • Current Students
  • Faculty & Staff
  • Alumni & Friends
  • Admissions
  • Undergraduate Admissions
  • Graduate Admissions
  • Apply Online
  • Transfer Evaluations Office
  • Campus Life
  • Financial Aid
  • Honors and Special Programs
  • Library
  • News and Media
  • Public Safety
  • Annual Security Report
  • Registrar
  • Academic Advising
  • Annual Security Report
  • Bookstore
  • Bursar
  • Calendars
  • Campus Life
  • Career Development and Internships
  • Commencement
  • Course Schedules and Bulletins
  • CUNY Blackboard
  • Enrollment Services Center
  • Financial Aid
  • Graduate Studies
  • Initiatives, Plans and Policies
  • International Programs and Study Abroad (IPSA)
  • Library
  • News and Media
  • Offices and Services
  • Pathways
  • Public Safety
  • Registrar
  • Registration Information
  • Resources for Undocumented Students and DACA
  • Scholarships and Awards
  • Student Handbook
  • Sustainability
  • Technology
  • Transfer Evaluations Office
  • Log into CUNYfirst
  • BC WebCentral Login
  • Forgot Your Password?
  • Forgot Your WebCentral ID?
  • New Users
  • College Directory
  • Academic Affairs / Office of the Provost
  • Annual Security Report
  • Senior VP for Finance and Administration
  • Bookstore
  • Calendars
  • Campus Directory
  • Campus Life
  • Center for Teaching
  • CUNY Blackboard
  • Faculty Council
  • Faculty and Staff Development Opportunities (CUNY)
  • Human Resources
  • ITS (Information Technology Services)
  • Library
  • News and Media
  • Offices and Services
  • Public Safety
  • Sustainability
  • Transfer Evaluations Office
  • Webmail
  • Writing Across the Curriculum
  • Log into CUNYfirst
  • BC WebCentral Login
  • Forgot Your Password?
  • Forgot Your WebCentral ID?
  • New Users
  • College Directory
  • Annual Security Report
  • Benefits and Services
  • Brooklyn College Alumni Association
  • Brooklyn College Foundation
  • Brooklyn College Magazine
  • Calendar of Events
  • Chapters and Affiliates
  • Get Involved and Give Back
  • Office of Alumni Engagement
  • Stay in Touch
  • Transcripts
  • Public Safety
  • Contact Us
  • News & Media
  • BC News
  • Archive - 2017
  • Rabbi Michael Lerner Encourages Students to Dream a Different Kind of World

The lifelong political activist came to campus to encourage students to stand up for what they believe in rather than what they are against.

/web/new_2017news/Lerner94x84.jpg

Rabbi Michael Lerner Encourages Students to Dream a Different Kind of World

Oct. 25, 2017

By Jamilah Simmons

Rabbi Michael Lerner at Brooklyn College

Rabbi Michael Lerner at Brooklyn College

As part of the ongoing initiative, We Stand Against Hate: Enhancing Understanding and Compassion at Brooklyn College, Rabbi Michael Lerner, the political activist, author, and psychotherapist visited the campus last week to give a talk entitled "Strategies to Combat Racism and Anti-Semitism: The psychodynamics of American Politics."

Lerner advised the campus community to stand for something, articulate a desirable world vision, and shoot for the stars.

"Martin Luther King did not become an icon of social change by giving a speech that said ‘I have a complaint," said Lerner. "No, he dreamed of a different kind of world."

Lerner, who describes himself as a spiritual progressive, was lamenting that in the current political environment, it can be easier to protest than to map out and actively work towards positive change. He also encouraged young people to dream big.

"Every fundamental change that ever happened did so because people were willing to stand up for something they believed in that was totally unrealistic at the time," he said. "Don’t waste your time on this planet fighting for what people tell you is realistic. Instead, go for your highest vision of the good."

Lerner is the rabbi of Beyt Tikkin Synagogue in Berkeley, Calif. He was one of the leaders of The University of California at Berkeley’s infamous Free Speech Movement in the 1960s and he went on to get involved in the anti-Vietnam War movement, organizing meetings featuring leading figures of the day like activist and boxing legend Muhammad Ali. He has remained active in social change movements and has merged his training as a psychotherapist and philosopher to looking broadly at ethical issues facing society.

He is also the author of several books, including Embracing Israel/Palestine: A Strategy to Heal and Transform the Middle East (North Atlantic Books, 2011), The Left Hand of God: Taking Back America from the Religious Right (HarperOne, 2006), and with Cornel West, Jews and Blacks: Let the Healing Begin (Putnam Adult, 1995).

The WSAH program series, now in its second year, was developed in response to both challenges the college has faced with conflict on campus and to national political divisions. Begun by President Michelle J. Anderson, WSAH aims to increase the campus discourse around difficult political issues while also enhancing compassion, inclusiveness, and peace.

Visit the WSAH page for a full list of events.

Back to BC News
  • Additional Content - Text and rightColumn: Tweet

News & Media

Back to News & Media

Image of a phone with social media icons.

Let’s Stay Connected

Our social media directory features all our accounts from across campus.

Fall 2022 COVID-19 Guidelines

Fall 2022 COVID-19 Guidelines

Prepare for a crucial transition for the fall 2022 semester.

Group of faculty members

Outstanding Professors

Our highly trained faculty are leaders in their fields. Come learn from them.

View of the upper portions of buildings from the residential neighborhoods around the Brooklyn College campus.

Housing Options

Learn about housing options that are available in Brooklyn. 

  • Home
  • Directory
  • Employment
  • IT Remote Support
  • Remote Technology Resources
  • Privacy Policy
  • Policies
  • Contact
  • Text Only Website
  • Site Map
The City University of New York

© 2025 All Rights Reserved Brooklyn College
2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11210
718.951.5000 -10.1.1.11