Anti-Defamation League: Encyclopedia II - Anti-Defamation League - Relations with Blacks

Anti-Defamation League - Relations with Blacks

Historically, some African-American organizations in America and the ADL have worked closely together in the American civil rights movement. However, since the 1970s relations have been less smooth, owing to diverging opinions on a range of issues (including affirmative action, welfare, Israel and a range of other topics).

The ADL has publicly criticized certain political, business, entertainment, activist and religious leaders and organizations in the black community:

• Before the fall of the former South African apartheid regime, the ADL actively opposed and labeled anti-Semitic, the anti-apartheid African National Congress (ANC), led by Nelson Mandela.

• The ADL has engaged the Nation of Islam which it considers anti-Semitic, in public discord since the 1984 U.S. Presidential campaign.

• In 1984 The Boston Globe reported that then ADL national director, Nathan Perlmutter, described Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. as anti-Semitic, after Jackson referred to New York City as "Hymietown".

• During the 1990s ADL files scandal, it was revealed that the NAACP was among the hundreds of groups the organization kept information files on. In 1994, the ADL stated that they may ask corporations to stop funding the NAACP, when their leader at the time, Benjamin Chavis, developed a working relationship with Louis Farrakhan, who the ADL considers to be anti-Semitic.

• During the 2002 election cycle, the ADL, in a letter to The New York Times, harshly criticized long standing Congressional Black Caucus member Cynthia McKinney of Georgia. According to an August 19, 2002 article in The New York Times ADL Director Abraham Foxman said, "it made sense that Jewish Americans would want to contribute to efforts to replace Ms. McKinney and [Black former Alabama Congressman] Mr. Hilliard because of the lawmakers' records on matters of interest to the Jewish community." McKinney was subsequently defeated in the Democratic primary by black state judge Denise Majette. In an August 25 letter to The New York Times Foxman pointed out that "support [from outside the African-American community] was vital in furthering the civil rights movements, and Jews played an important role" and added "McKinney went out of her way to attack Israel, causing much pain to supporters of a beleaguered democracy. It is also clear that her constituents turned her out of office for many reasons, including her extreme comments about Sept. 11."
  • Rep. McKinney who regained her Congressional seat in 2004 wrote in an Washington Post Op-Ed, "..I have been condemned by the Anti-Defamation League. I have been attacked as an anti-Semite. ..Two Jewish organizations that support my right to speak are Not in My Name and Jews for Peace in Palestine and Israel. Not in My Name expressed its disappointment at "the harsh rebuke by the Anti- Defamation League. We support Rep. McKinney and hope she continues to show courage in bringing such topics before the American people." Jews for Peace in Palestine and Israel wrote, "The time has arrived to examine seriously the United States' role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." "[8]

• In March of 2005, ADL National Director, Abraham Foxman called Hip hop mogul Russell Simmons's public campaign against anti-Semitism hypocritical, due to Simmons's long history of working with Louis Farrakhan.

However, the ADL also works to combat racism against all racial groups, including racism against blacks. In 1997, the National Center for Black-Jewish Relations of Dillard University, a historically black university in New Orleans awarded the director of the ADL, Abraham H. Foxman, with the first Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. - Donald R. Mintz Freedom and Justice Award.

In 2004 the ADL became the lead partner in the Peace and Diversity Academy, a new New York City public high school with predominantly black and Hispanic students.

In celebration of Black History Month, the ADL created and distributed lesson plans to middle and high school teachers about Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to the US Congress, and an important civil rights leader.

Covering the 4th Annual Black/Jewish Congressional Awards Ceremony, hosted by The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, black political pundit, Cedric Muhammad wrote:

Black-Jewish relations will improve significantly once Black organizations, elected officials and spiritual leaders arrive at a consensus that the Anti-Defamation league (ADL) and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) do not represent all Jewish people. At that point the probability of a frank dialogue, between the two communities in America, free of pre-conditions or litmus tests, becomes higher than ever before, (Toward Black-Jewish Relations Outside Of The AIPAC-ADL Construct, Blackelectorate.com, June 19, 2002).

Following police raids of ADL offices in 1992[9], information came to light concerning ADL oppososition to anti-Apartheid activists in South Africa.

The ADL reportedly spied on the anti-apartheid African National Congress, before the ANC became the ruling party in South Africa. The ADL reportedly also spied on other anti-apartheid organizations.[10]

According to a report released by San Francisco's District Attorney, the ADL's "fact finder" Roy Bullock admitted that he was paid by a South African intelligence agent to spy on anti-apartheid activists.[11]

Abe Foxman, ADL's national director, explained to the Northern California Jewish Bulliten, May 8, 1993: “At the time we exposed the ANC, they were communist. They were violent, they were anti-Semitic, they were pro-PLO, and they were anti-Israel. You’re going to tell me I don’t have the legitimacy to find out who they were consorting with, who their buddies are, who supports whom?” [12][13]

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Relations with Blacks", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki