In a traditional seder, we drink four cups of wine, reciting the kiddish, the blessing over the wine, each time. In our seder, each of the four cups represents a step on the path toward justice and liberation: Remembrance, Sustenance, Resistance, and Hope.

Our first cup: Rememberance

As we drink this cup, we remember the sufferings and oppressions in human history.

We remember the history of slavery in the Americas, where millions of Africans were sold, tortured, and killed.

We remember the devastation of colonialism in all parts of the world.

We remember the suffering of people under regimes of tyranny and fascism.

We remember the continuing existence of slavery throughout the world, even in our own communities.

We remember those lost to police violence, those torn apart from their families by unjust immigration and criminal justice policies, and those who have been told they are the "other."

We remember and keep in our hearts those who must reckon daily with the indignities and dangers of racism, Islamophobia, transphobia, and all forms of oppression.