“Sh’mi Siddurah,” Cydney Wallace proudly declares her Hebrew name during a Zoom call discussion about what she’s been up to since being named to the 36 under 36 list last summer. She proudly wears her nameplate necklace on which both names shine bright: Cydney and Siddurah.

“I am trying to get more comfortable in using my Hebrew name. I think a lot of people have impostor syndrome,” she said. “I think it’s especially true in the Black and Brown communities, and I think it’s especially true in the Jewish communities. And so you can only imagine how I feel. But I want to own it. And I wear my necklace all the time.”

Wallace received her Hebrew name from Chief Rabbi Capers Funnye at Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation when she became a bat mitzvah right before her 30th birthday. Now 36, Wallace remains an active member of the synagogue, along with her husband and four children.

She’s also a co-founding member of Kol Or, the Jews of Color Caucus for the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs. On June 19th, they held their biggest annual event, the Juneteenth Havdalah. Even in the midst of the pandemic last summer, they kept it going virtually.

“We’ve been making all kinds of connections and doing all kinds of fun things. We don’t plan on stopping just because the world is on fire,” Wallace said.

While the Juneteenth Havdalah is what Wallace calls “largely a Black celebration,” she says Kol Or is working on creating events for other members of the caucus as well.

“We [want] it to be a place where Jews of Color can be their full authentic selves. You don’t have to be the Japanese Jew, the Chinese Jew, the Black Jew, or the Mexican Jew. You’re just a Jew, and we’re all here sharing food and music, and what’s better than food and music?” Wallace said.

She eventually wants to bring Kol Or participants into her other work with JCUA, where she sits on the board. She stresses the importance of creating a space where Jews of Color feel comfortable, especially after experiencing exclusionary behavior from other members of the Jewish community.

Wallace’s activism and leadership places her in the national spotlight, too. Last October, she joined Rabbi Michael Siegel and Pastor Chris Harris, as featured guests on a virtual talk moderated by The Forward, discussing Black and Jewish relations locally and across the country.

Wallace wants to serve as a bridge between the two communities. But she says both communities need to take a look “inward first.”

“Until both sides reconcile with their past and what they’ve been doing and why, and just stop pointing the finger at the other side, no amount of people that look like me are going to be able to help,” she said.

Meanwhile, Wallace continues her work on the Police Accountability Campaign of JCUA, while also seeking out other causes important to her. At her synagogue last December, Kol Or hosted a screening of the documentary film, 13th , followed by a rabbinic led discussion on the 13th Amendment.

“Right now [the 13 ^th Amendment] says there should be no slavery unless you’ve been duly convicted of a crime. There’s currently a bill proposed to remove that (clause),” Wallace explained.

She plans to propose a campaign through JCUA to help get the bill passed. While she acknowledges this cause is a personal passion, she’s confident she can organize her fellow JCUA members to get the job done.

“I’m kind of loud. People listen to me,” she said with a smile.

Mimi Sager Yoskowitz is a Chicago-area freelance writer, mother of four, and former CNN producer.