In Webb's article "A Tangled Web", he discusses the relations between Jews and African Americans in the south during the civil rights era. Anecdotes in Webb's article describe how relations between the two groups were constantly toeing the color line that existed as the societal framework of the South. Although we would expect that the parallelism between both oppressed groups would cause Southern Jews to empathize with the experience of African Americans, the pressure of white supremacy in the South caused Jews to assimilate into the white majority.
The sectionalism within the Jewish community at the time, including groups of Northern and Southern Jews who both supported and opposed desegregation, demonstrates how different identities are constructed. The white majority allowed Jews to have political rights but often excluded them from social and cultural events of the white South. Overall, the construction of African Americans as the lowest members of society pressured Southern Jews to distance themselves significantly from their Black counterparts, often fearing violence or retribution if they supported African Americans. Mostly Northern Jews worked as activists against white supremacy and segregation and often entered the South to be allies in the movement. However, there was a small population of Southern Jews, such as social activists and rabbis, who spoke out openly against segregation and worked to promote equality within Southern society. These contrasting Jewish identities at the time, demonstrate the diversity even within one religion. Although religion and culture play a powerful role in identity construction, personal experience and familial tradition also way heavily on identity and in turn personal actions. Clearly, there was a huge difference between a Jew in the South and a Southern white who happened to be Jewish. This example also highlights the intersectionality of identity with Southern Jews occupying multiple spaces within Southern society - a merchant, an activist, a rabbi, a religious Jew, a white Southern - and using select history and experience to shape an identity that was convenient at the time. This intersectionality is parallel to the experiences of other minority groups within the world today. Blacks in the United States continue to experience an intersectionality and searching of identity as the white community constantly groups them as one monolithic group. Oftentimes, Blacks don't identity as African American but see themselves as Caribbean American or American African. Their constructions of identity pull from multiple experiences and traditions inside and outside of the US that do not necessarily coincide with the experiences of African American families brought to the US during the slave trade. Similarly, Muslims in Europe can experience a similar identity crisis. Second and third generation Muslims often struggle to be either European or Muslim - as white Europeans create a social construct which purposely pits the two identities against one another. Specific personal experience and tradition shapes personal identification and human action in all these examples.
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AuthorMy name is Lilly and I'm originally from Upstate NY studying in Atlanta, GA. I am double majoring in Biology & Chemistry. I grew up in the small, mostly white Christian town in Upstate NY. In high school, I only had a few Jewish friends and I didn't have much interaction with Jewish religion or culture. I am excited to learn more about Jewish history and draw connections based on my previous knowledge of the southern United States. ArchivesCategories |