Atlantic staff writer Jemele Hill addressed the anti-Semitic posts made by Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson, and suggested in an op-ed on Monday that it arises from a much bigger problem among African-Americans, including she herself.
Hill began her op-ed by recalling an incident in 2008 as an ESPN.com columnist when she trivialized Adolfo Hitler’s brutality. She apologized and was suspended for a week, but wrote that she still “shrinks” when she thinks about it.
“He had made a joke about the Nazi leader who orchestrated the murder of 6 million Jews,” Hill wrote. “I was, of course, aware of the Holocaust, but I had given little thought to the feelings of the Jewish community because, frankly, it was not mine. When others pointed to the callousness of my statement, I was mortified.” “
Hill related his incident to the NFL star and wrote: “Like Jackson, I am black. And if someone had made a comment trivializing slavery, I would have been outraged.”
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“I learned that just because I am aware of the destruction caused by racism, that does not mean that I am automatically sensitive to other forms of racism, or in this case, anti-Semitism,” Hill explained. “Blacks are also capable of being culturally arrogant.”
The writer criticized Jackson’s Instagram posts that attributed quotes to Hitler as “ugly” and acknowledged how his praise for Nation of Islam founder Louis Farrakhan may incite people to “question their true feelings towards Jews” because of Farrakhan’s long history of anti-Semitism.
Jackson created a firestorm when he highlighted three paragraphs in a book that falsely attributed quotes to Adolf Hitler. He posted the image of the highlighted passages on his Instagram. Jackson then posted two photos of prominent anti-Semitic preacher Louis Farrakhan.
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“Regardless of what happens to Jackson, the unfortunate truth is that some African Americans have shown a certain cultural blind spot about Jews. Stereotypical and hurtful tropes about Jews are widely accepted in the African American community,” Hill wrote. “As a child, I heard my family’s elders say in passing that the Jewish people were consumed with making money and that ‘they owned everything.’ My relatives never stopped on the subject, and nothing about his tone indicated to think that some of what they said was anti-Semitic, not that lack of conscience would be an excuse. This also doesn’t mean that my family or another African Americans are more or less anti-Semitic than others in the United States, but experiencing the pain of discrimination and the stereotypes did not prevent them from spreading harmful stereotypes about another group. “
Hill then pointed to other examples of prominent black figures involved in anti-Semitism incidents such as LeBron James and rappers Jay-Z and 21 Savage, while also recognizing other athletes who have come to Jackson’s defense as former NBA player Stephen Jackson. .
“Blacks’ fight for their humanity is unrelated to Jackson’s mistake, but they must use their own racial experiences to foster empathy for others,” Hill continued. “The thirst for liberation and equality can never come at the expense of dehumanizing other marginalized groups, especially at a time when hate crimes against Jews have increased significantly.”
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He added: “The good news for Jackson is that some are willing to characterize this incident as ignorance rather than hatred. Regardless, Jackson will have to work to regain the confidence of the Jewish community, and everyone else who understands that Hitler was wrong. Just because he says he’s sorry doesn’t mean they have to believe him.
Jackson apologized for his Instagram posts after facing strong criticism.
Fox Gay’s Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
