A recent posting announced a search for a director for a museum of Jewish
culture and history.  It expected the incumbent to interact routinely with
the Jewish community and also to have an understanding of Jewish religious
and cultural heritage. (Words to that effect.)

I doubt very much that an individual not of Jewish upbringing could fully
understand what it means to be Jewish -- let alone understand the effects of
the Holocaust, centuries of discrimination, and in some less populated
places in our nation, a growing sense of "alone-ness" as temples close and
the number of Jewish families declines.

It is not a matter of religiosity, but of culture.  I am very cognizant of
my own Judaeo-Christian heritage.  But that is another matter.  I grew up
with full blooded Native Americans and also African Americans, but could say
only that I am able to be "familiar" with their heritage -- no more, no
less.

-----Original Message-----
From: Robert T. Handy <[log in to unmask]>


<snip> <snip>

>        Leaping from there to jobs in African-American museums, I am simply
>agreeing with the original position to the extent that I don't really
>believe I, as an Anglo, could do justice to the subjects of A-A art, music,
>cultural experience, etc.  It was those students in that African-American
>history class that give me my first glimpse at that particular problem.
> Admittedly, it has not kept me from studying the Black or the female or
>the Asian, etc. experience in American History.  I would simply be hesitant
>to apply for a job running say, a Native American museum.
>
>------
>Robert Handy
>Brazoria County Historical Museum
>100 East Cedar
>Angleton, Texas  77515
>(409) 864-1208
>museum_bob
>[log in to unmask]
>http://www.bchm.org
>
>----------
>From:   Deb Fuller[SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
>Sent:   Tuesday, August 25, 1998 10:32 AM
>To:     [log in to unmask]
>Subject:        Re: civility or side stepping equity
>
>At 09:43 AM 8/25/98 -0500, you wrote:
>
>>I was not necessarily angered by that position because I generally, agreed
>>(although I did not discontinue studying American diplomacy because I was
>>not a diplomat).  Nevertheless, the experience has influenced my thinking
>>when it comes to serving in an African-American museum.  I would generally
>>agree that an Anglo is not going to as fully understand that
>>experience--whether it relates to art, music, politics, culture or
>>whatever--as an African-American.  Sure would like to. But....
>
>I might be misunderstanding your point but it seems to me that you are
>suggesting that since whites (or Asians or Aborigines or Native Americans,
>etc.) cannot fully understand what it is like to be Black/African American,
>we should not study it at all or serve in those types of museums.
>
>Thus why study history at all?  I mean as a woman, I was made to study
>white male history all my life.  Certainly I cannot understand all of
>Western history as a white female.  Nor why should we subject non-whites to
>studying Western history as well?
>
>To me, I think we should all have a good base understanding of world
>history, African, Asian, European and South American and a better
>understanding of our own country's history as well.  Then I think people
>should be allowed to study whatever history interests them.  I may never
>understand what it is like to truely be Black, but I can appreciate the
>culture and the history.
>
>And to add, I grew up in one of the most racially diverse areas in the
>world.  (Alexandria, VA right outside of Washington, DC.)  Now while I will
>never been African American/Black, I do know what it is like to be a
>minority and be picked upon because of my skin color.  (Yes, "whitey" is
>just as much of an epithet as other racial slurs.)  This again, won't be me
>the true insight on not being white, but it does give me a bit more of a
>perspective than someone who grew up in an all white town in the Mid-West,
>for example.  I think everyone can gain an understanding of someone else's
>culture on some identifiable level.  Finding the common experiences that we
>all share is the key.
>
>Deb Fuller
>
>--------------------------------------------
>Staples &  Charles Ltd.
>225 N Fairfax St.
>Alexandria, VA 22314
>USA
>703-683-0900 - voice
>703-683-2820 - fax
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