"Blacks and Jews: a Tangled History"
"By the late 20th century, amid acrimonious charges and countercharges about black anti-Semitism and Jewish racism, a few Jewish and African-American compatriots still maintained strong convictions of brotherhood, but the time seemed to have come and gone when the two groups had obvious reasons to join hands. Mindful of 'respective exiles,' said the Holocaust survivor and Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel in a 1987 birthday tribute to the black civil-rights activist Bayard Rustin, African-Americans and Jews must each cultivate their own traditions and 'create their own community, their own fraternity.'
Whatever its future, the black-Jewish question is no less central today than it was throughout the 20th century. At times a true alliance, at times a marriage of convenience, and more recently a bitter quarrel, the relationship between the two groups reset the course of American liberalism--its promise of belonging to the nation, as well as the seeming demise of the idea of one nation to which all could belong. The history of their association
still holds important lessons for Americans ever in search of common ground." (end of excerpt).
There are those in the National Urban Alliance (NUA) that will recall our founding conversations. One such discussion among superintendents, congressional leaders, educators, and business types, reflected on personal experience I had as a child, having had the wonderful opportunity, (through my parents), of exposure very early to Jewish traditions. Though we were a Presbyterian family, my parents were very active in the NAACP, as well as maintained deep personal relationships with Jewish friends, who, because of the nature of the relationships, became part of an extended family for me and my brothers.
These childhood experiences triggered for me, an idea on the need for founding an organization which, harkened back to the glory days of the NAACP, which along with
so many Americans of all creeds, ethnicity and race, spearheaded the American civil rights movement. For me, observing statements made by some leading black Americans made me want to cringe. Somehow I felt many in the country had lost their way since the days when the civil rights movement took hold and gave birth to new opportunities for ALL Americans based on a new body of laws. The pathway took a subtle but increasing turn to the right, too early to observe the right-angles in the path as of yet, but a right turn nevertheless. This was caused by a number of reasons, and yet regardless of a new conservatism in the country, the most important movement which needed to be initiated in this country during the late 80s and early 90s, was a recognition that education must be viewed as a civil and human right for all Americans -- for all Americans, whether voluntary or involuntary immigrants to this country (to use terminology of John Ogbu). The NAACP had led the way for civil rights through its good offices and institution. Why not create an educational organization which recognized the potential for human empowerment through people who were following in the footsteps of a remarkable generation of Americans? Thus the idea for the NUA was born, and here is where I sought the help of like-minded people who maintained the irrefutable belief in the American ideas of: fairness, the rule of law, freedom, respect, human dignity, and full equality under the law. And the question we asked of each other, given that the lawyers had led the charge during the heydays of the NAACP, why not the educators leading the way for the students of the future? And why not learn from the black-Jewish alliance which founded the NAACP -- replicating the dynamics of leadership with a new wrinkle -- the focus would be on learning, teaching and student empowerment? After all, that is what our parents fought for, an equal access to a quality education during the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. Let me attempt to explain this concept further, by providing an exemplar.
A leader and lawyer I embrace is John Brittain. For those who know John, he was the lead lawyer for the successfully tried desegregation case in Connecticut, Sheff v O'Neill (then Governor of the state). Recently John shared some thoughts with me about a Scholastic ad that stated: "Reading. It has been called the new civil right." John wrote:
"Eric, thanks for drawing the distinction between standard education and education as a "civil right." Education is a fundamental civil right. Any form of discrimination disproportionality in education based upon race, income status, gender, disability, national origin, sexual preference and the normal covered categories affects the fundamental right to equal education. The forms of discrimination may vary, such as racial or ethnic segregation in schools or classes, ability groupings, special education, learning achievement, disciplinary action and more. One must distinguish the basic right to equal education from the forms of discrimination that affect, in some cases illegally, the basic right to quality education. I agree with you concerns about discrimination in the triangulated forms in your message."
I wrote: "Publishers such as Scholastic, in promotion of their reading series, have advertised in "Education Week" that "reading is the new civil right." For me, reading remains a skill that virtually all American schoolchildren and youth can master, the civil right is triangulated: access to quality education, elimination of both the achievement gap and disproportional representation of black schoolchildren and youth in special education categories."
I share these ramblings with you about American civil rights and education as a human right, with one purpose in mind. To recognize the forms of leadership which continue to help guide us in our work, in our advocacy, and to recognize that educators remain an underutilized, unformed, unguided (for the most part), potential force for social change in America. Rather than hyperbolic rhetoric, educators are forced, by the nature of their jobs, to work on behalf of the individuals served by the institution we call school. And as educators, our responsibilities are shared, with the students, the parents and the communities where schools are located. It is our responsibility to gain the knowledge and confidence which builds on a deepening social conscience in America and the world. It is our responsibility to work toward the moral high ground -- providing an education compass which helps more and more schoolchildren and youth in their navigation toward lifelong learning. The path we attempt to chart is fraught with obstacles and challenges. But if we recognize that empowerment comes from alliances, comes from dynamic partnerships framed on common values and aspirations, we will become the advocates and activist who see beyond a job, a title, a position. We, YOU, each hold in your knowledge, in your acceptance of a higher calling of sorts, in your hearts and by your hand, the lives of those who cry out for your support. As we continue to learn, education is the last chance for the students who rely on schools for success.
So please, as we move toward the January NUA retreat in Austin, where we will be forced to confront the stereotypes, the inadvertent prejudices and beliefs born of personal and social challenges, open your hearts and minds to the responsibility you accept when becoming a member of the NUA community. No one in America is immune to the blinks, as Gladwell calls them, those behaviors framed by how we think without thinking, "...about choices that seem to be made in the blink of an eye..." The answer to life's challenges reside in you and begins with belief, individual and collectively charged by the embrace of those historical references which lead us knowingly toward a better future for ALL.
So in reflection on the above, I ask myself, where did that come from? Maybe it has to do with those exciting connections we face this week and the responsibility for educators, and stakeholders to deliver on the American dream. We are witnessing a renewed belief in the possibility of social justice and human right for Americans and those of other nations. Out of the global tragedies increasingly experienced, come opportunity for sustained change. We witness the sparks in your efforts in partnership with school communities from the left to right coast. We witness these sparks of hope in efforts of likeminded educators and social activist on a daily basis -- avoiding the relentless drumbeat of doom engendered and broadcast by the media's relentless attention to ratings. We recognize that to live in hope, lifts the spirit and provides the advocacy that results in empowerment for our children and 'other people's children.'
So celebrate what you do and embrace the possible. Lead on in partnership with Birmingham, Bridgeport, Hamden, Newark, Seattle, Indianapolis, Minneapolis-area, Barberton, Cleveland Heights, NYC, Beacon, East St. Louis, and those remarkable membership groups led by IRA, NCTE, CB, NCEBC, WMEP, CGCS, the Aspen Institute, CRi, NYSCOSS, ASCD and MSAN. It remains not US against THEM, but US for THEM.
We deeply thank you,
Eric
Whatever its future, the black-Jewish question is no less central today than it was throughout the 20th century. At times a true alliance, at times a marriage of convenience, and more recently a bitter quarrel, the relationship between the two groups reset the course of American liberalism--its promise of belonging to the nation, as well as the seeming demise of the idea of one nation to which all could belong. The history of their association
still holds important lessons for Americans ever in search of common ground." (end of excerpt).
There are those in the National Urban Alliance (NUA) that will recall our founding conversations. One such discussion among superintendents, congressional leaders, educators, and business types, reflected on personal experience I had as a child, having had the wonderful opportunity, (through my parents), of exposure very early to Jewish traditions. Though we were a Presbyterian family, my parents were very active in the NAACP, as well as maintained deep personal relationships with Jewish friends, who, because of the nature of the relationships, became part of an extended family for me and my brothers.
These childhood experiences triggered for me, an idea on the need for founding an organization which, harkened back to the glory days of the NAACP, which along with
so many Americans of all creeds, ethnicity and race, spearheaded the American civil rights movement. For me, observing statements made by some leading black Americans made me want to cringe. Somehow I felt many in the country had lost their way since the days when the civil rights movement took hold and gave birth to new opportunities for ALL Americans based on a new body of laws. The pathway took a subtle but increasing turn to the right, too early to observe the right-angles in the path as of yet, but a right turn nevertheless. This was caused by a number of reasons, and yet regardless of a new conservatism in the country, the most important movement which needed to be initiated in this country during the late 80s and early 90s, was a recognition that education must be viewed as a civil and human right for all Americans -- for all Americans, whether voluntary or involuntary immigrants to this country (to use terminology of John Ogbu). The NAACP had led the way for civil rights through its good offices and institution. Why not create an educational organization which recognized the potential for human empowerment through people who were following in the footsteps of a remarkable generation of Americans? Thus the idea for the NUA was born, and here is where I sought the help of like-minded people who maintained the irrefutable belief in the American ideas of: fairness, the rule of law, freedom, respect, human dignity, and full equality under the law. And the question we asked of each other, given that the lawyers had led the charge during the heydays of the NAACP, why not the educators leading the way for the students of the future? And why not learn from the black-Jewish alliance which founded the NAACP -- replicating the dynamics of leadership with a new wrinkle -- the focus would be on learning, teaching and student empowerment? After all, that is what our parents fought for, an equal access to a quality education during the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. Let me attempt to explain this concept further, by providing an exemplar.
A leader and lawyer I embrace is John Brittain. For those who know John, he was the lead lawyer for the successfully tried desegregation case in Connecticut, Sheff v O'Neill (then Governor of the state). Recently John shared some thoughts with me about a Scholastic ad that stated: "Reading. It has been called the new civil right." John wrote:
"Eric, thanks for drawing the distinction between standard education and education as a "civil right." Education is a fundamental civil right. Any form of discrimination disproportionality in education based upon race, income status, gender, disability, national origin, sexual preference and the normal covered categories affects the fundamental right to equal education. The forms of discrimination may vary, such as racial or ethnic segregation in schools or classes, ability groupings, special education, learning achievement, disciplinary action and more. One must distinguish the basic right to equal education from the forms of discrimination that affect, in some cases illegally, the basic right to quality education. I agree with you concerns about discrimination in the triangulated forms in your message."
I wrote: "Publishers such as Scholastic, in promotion of their reading series, have advertised in "Education Week" that "reading is the new civil right." For me, reading remains a skill that virtually all American schoolchildren and youth can master, the civil right is triangulated: access to quality education, elimination of both the achievement gap and disproportional representation of black schoolchildren and youth in special education categories."
I share these ramblings with you about American civil rights and education as a human right, with one purpose in mind. To recognize the forms of leadership which continue to help guide us in our work, in our advocacy, and to recognize that educators remain an underutilized, unformed, unguided (for the most part), potential force for social change in America. Rather than hyperbolic rhetoric, educators are forced, by the nature of their jobs, to work on behalf of the individuals served by the institution we call school. And as educators, our responsibilities are shared, with the students, the parents and the communities where schools are located. It is our responsibility to gain the knowledge and confidence which builds on a deepening social conscience in America and the world. It is our responsibility to work toward the moral high ground -- providing an education compass which helps more and more schoolchildren and youth in their navigation toward lifelong learning. The path we attempt to chart is fraught with obstacles and challenges. But if we recognize that empowerment comes from alliances, comes from dynamic partnerships framed on common values and aspirations, we will become the advocates and activist who see beyond a job, a title, a position. We, YOU, each hold in your knowledge, in your acceptance of a higher calling of sorts, in your hearts and by your hand, the lives of those who cry out for your support. As we continue to learn, education is the last chance for the students who rely on schools for success.
So please, as we move toward the January NUA retreat in Austin, where we will be forced to confront the stereotypes, the inadvertent prejudices and beliefs born of personal and social challenges, open your hearts and minds to the responsibility you accept when becoming a member of the NUA community. No one in America is immune to the blinks, as Gladwell calls them, those behaviors framed by how we think without thinking, "...about choices that seem to be made in the blink of an eye..." The answer to life's challenges reside in you and begins with belief, individual and collectively charged by the embrace of those historical references which lead us knowingly toward a better future for ALL.
So in reflection on the above, I ask myself, where did that come from? Maybe it has to do with those exciting connections we face this week and the responsibility for educators, and stakeholders to deliver on the American dream. We are witnessing a renewed belief in the possibility of social justice and human right for Americans and those of other nations. Out of the global tragedies increasingly experienced, come opportunity for sustained change. We witness the sparks in your efforts in partnership with school communities from the left to right coast. We witness these sparks of hope in efforts of likeminded educators and social activist on a daily basis -- avoiding the relentless drumbeat of doom engendered and broadcast by the media's relentless attention to ratings. We recognize that to live in hope, lifts the spirit and provides the advocacy that results in empowerment for our children and 'other people's children.'
So celebrate what you do and embrace the possible. Lead on in partnership with Birmingham, Bridgeport, Hamden, Newark, Seattle, Indianapolis, Minneapolis-area, Barberton, Cleveland Heights, NYC, Beacon, East St. Louis, and those remarkable membership groups led by IRA, NCTE, CB, NCEBC, WMEP, CGCS, the Aspen Institute, CRi, NYSCOSS, ASCD and MSAN. It remains not US against THEM, but US for THEM.
We deeply thank you,
Eric
posted by Eric J. Cooper at 9:35 AM
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