The Black-Jewish Alliance through 1970s Black Sitcoms (Joseph Duffey)

The Black-Jewish Alliance Through 1970s Black Sitcoms 

(Joseph Duffey)

    The relationship between African Americans and Jewish Americans has been considered eventful, to say the least. Historically, they share modern history of persecution at the hands of a predominant, white Christian population. More specifically, from the 1910s to the 1960s, Jewish Americans helped prominent black leaders with the formation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). However, as the relationship between the two groups would turn during the Civil Rights Movement, as there would be a rise in black anti-semitism, being that black Americans were encouraged to neglect those with fairer skin in order to connect more with their fellow black countrymen. On the flipside, tensions rose with the effects of racial integration, as many Jewish Americans feared the emergence of black Americans in their neighborhoods and schools. The black sitcoms of the 1970s would highlight criticism from the African American community. 

    The 1970s would introduce black sitcoms that were much more fair in their representation of African Americans, but Stephen Vider in "Sanford Versus Steinberg" recognized where they might have fallen short. Referencing the production of famous black sitcom Sanford and Son, Vider argued, "...the writers and producers of Sanford and Son, like many black sitcoms of the 1970s, were not only white, they were also Jewish....could Jews, given their own history, authentically write for blacks?" (Vider 2011: 21). This show wouldn't be the only example, as Jewish American Norman Lear's The Jeffersons and Good Times would also be successful black sitcoms with criticism for its buffoonish stereotyping. However, how did the depiction of African Americans adjust in the 1970s, as opposed to the 1950s?

    NAACP protests would force problematic representations of black Americans like Beulah and Amos 'n' Andy off the air. Also, Hal Kanter's Julia was condemned for its casting of a black woman in a white world that did not accurately express the experience of the majority of African Americans. However, in January of 1972, Lear's Sanford and Son debuted, offering potential for a more realistic depiction of African American life. The show was made after Lear's popular All in the Family series of which Lear had proven himself to be somewhat socially-conscious. The casting of Redd Foxx was considered to be bold for his raunchy style of stand-up comedy, but it proved to be a successful business decision, as the program was an immediate hit. However, the show would still be criticized for its white writer's room that was said to still have produced a lack of authenticity on-screen, and at times, the writers would edit lines that would be considered too stereotypical, per Foxx's request. Vider referenced black literature professor Eugenia Collier's disgust of the show. He wrote, "As Collier went on...'Fred Sanford and his little boy Lamont, conceived by white minds and based upon a white value system, are not strong black men of achieving or even understanding - liberation. They are merely two more American child-men" (Vider 2011: 26). Collier's harsh reaction exemplified that the show's black representation was nothing out of the ordinary for blacks on television. While the setting differed from Julia's upper-middle class life, she felt that the show was still geared against black audience's interests. 

    In conclusion, 1970s black representation was promising compared to the frivolity in the 1950s but ultimately fell short, as the absence of African American representation in the writer's room did not propel these sitcoms to reach their full potential. Stereotyping was still an ongoing theme with programs like Good Times and The Jeffersons.