Jews And Blacks: Allies In Twentieth Century America? – lecture held by prof. Hasia Diner from New York University
Jews, voluntary immigrants to the United States, always defined by law and policy as white, and African Americans, forced migrants whose descendants continued through nearly all of American history to occupy a subservient and degraded legal status on the surface had little in common. Yet for nearly all of the twentieth century their histories have been entwined. Jews, cognizant of their privileged status, had much to say about the suffering of black people, and used their growing political and financial clout to advance the cause of civil rights and improve the living condition of blacks in both the south and north. On the other hand, Jews prospered in part due to their economic activities selling to African Americans. How did Jews reconcile these two seemingly different roles in the history of race relations in America? This talk will explore the multiple and often contradictory ways in which Jews engaged with African Americans and what that tells us about the history of American Jewry.
prof. Hasia Diner – Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies and History at New York University
Free entrance. The lecture will be given in English.
