Summary of "Sticky: #23 – Whose America?, pt. 2: Inner City Blues"

The Martyr Maid Podcast, Hosted by Darryl Cooper
Release Date: June 26, 2023

Introduction

In the twenty-third episode of The Martyr Maid Podcast, Darryl Cooper delves deep into the intricate and often tumultuous relationship between Black and Jewish Americans within the urban landscapes of the United States. Building upon the discussions from the first part, "Whose America?, pt. 1: Urban Exodus," this second installment, titled "Inner City Blues," explores the socio-political dynamics, historical migrations, racial tensions, and the resultant urban decay that have shaped inner-city America.

Historical Context and Migration Patterns

Cooper begins by drawing parallels between Singapore's authoritarian governance under Lee Kuan Yew and the United States' democratic framework. He underscores Singapore's rapid modernization despite its diverse population, contrasting it with America's ongoing struggles with racial and ethnic diversity.

A significant portion of the discussion centers on the Great Migration, a monumental movement where approximately 6 to 7 million Black Americans relocated from the rural South to northern and western cities between 1915 and 1960. This migration transformed urban demographics, leading to overcrowded neighborhoods, strained city services, and heightened racial tensions.

"When the First World War began in 1914, all of those cities that became well known in the 20th century as hubs of African American life still had virtually no black people living in them." [14:30]

Race Relations and Ethnic Politics

Cooper delves into the complex interplay between Black migrants and established ethnic groups like the Irish, Italians, Jews, and Poles in cities like New York. Unlike earlier immigrant groups who formed cohesive, self-sustaining communities, Black migrants often faced systemic neglect and discrimination, lacking similar political and social capital.

The episode highlights seminal literary works by Bernard Malamud and James Baldwin, which encapsulate the evolving tensions between Black and Jewish communities. Malamud's stories, "Angel Levine" and "The Tenants," respectively published in 1959 and 1971, serve as narrative reflections of these strained relations.

Manischewitz in "Angel Levine":
"Manischewitz is hardly in touch with her. And he himself is beset by excruciating back aches, and his wife's health is declining..." [05:15]

Willie in "The Tenants":
"I ought to be hung on a hook till some kind brother cuts off my white balls." [18:45]

Urban Decay, Riots, and Government Response

The mid to late 1960s saw a surge in urban unrest, marked by riots in cities like Newark and Detroit. Cooper attributes these disturbances to a combination of factors: rapid demographic shifts, inadequate city planning, systemic neglect, and the rise of militant groups exploiting governmental policies designed to contain urban decay.

He criticizes the War on Poverty initiatives, arguing that programs like the Ford Foundation's Mobilization for Youth inadvertently fueled unrest by empowering radical activists to destabilize communities further.

"The Black Panthers, like their racist counterparts in the white world, accused the so-called Negro leaders of secretly pursuing miscegenation as a goal." [35:50]

Education, Community Control, and Union Conflicts

A focal point of the episode is the contentious shift towards community control of schools, exemplified by the Ocean Hill-Brownsville conflict in Newark. Cooper describes how devolving authority to local boards, dominated by radical Black activists, led to severe clashes with the teachers' unions, predominantly composed of Jewish educators.

The episode recounts the violent confrontations, strikes, and mutual accusations of antisemitism, which only further polarized communities and tarnished the fragile Black-Jewish alliance.

Leslie Campbell at JHS271:
"We're trying to get rid of the Board of Education. There is no other solution." [42:20]

Al Shanker, UFT President:
"Teachers are becoming targets of a mounting volume of attacks by extremist groups." [50:10]

Aftermath and Long-Term Implications

Cooper reflects on the long-term consequences of these urban conflicts, emphasizing the sustained racial polarization, the erosion of trust between communities, and the systemic failures that continue to plague inner-city America. He contends that while riots of the 1960s have receded, the underlying issues remain unresolved, manifesting in ongoing racial tensions and cycles of violence.

The episode also touches upon subsequent attempts at reform, the rise of welfare policies that may have inadvertently perpetuated dependency and resentment, and the persistent challenges in achieving genuine integration and equality.

Daryl Cooper:
"These things will not fix themselves. They will get worse and worse and worse unless we fix it." [01:10:00]

Conclusion

"Inner City Blues" serves as a sobering examination of the historical and ongoing struggles within American urban centers. Darryl Cooper argues that without a nuanced understanding of past migrations, racial dynamics, and policy missteps, the United States will continue to grapple with the fractious realities of inner-city life. The episode calls for honest dialogue, empathy, and comprehensive reforms to bridge the divides that have long fragmented American society.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Daryl Cooper:
  "Power corrupts the few, while weakness corrupts the many. Hatred, malice, rudeness, intolerance, and suspicion are the fruits of weakness." [59:45]

• Nathan Glaser and Daniel Patrick Moynihan:
  "When this shift occurs suddenly, drastically, in one or two generations, the effect is immensely disruptive of traditional social patterns." [66:10]

• Leaders of the Black Militants:
  "I got myself a gun. Have everyone here got a gun? You better fucking get your shit together." [75:30]

• Joe Wood, Village Voice Columnist:
  "They are the politics of the poor." [80:00]

Key Takeaways

1. Historical Parallels: Comparisons between authoritarian Singapore and democratic America highlight different approaches to managing diverse populations.

2. Impact of the Great Migration: The massive influx of Black migrants into northern cities exacerbated existing racial tensions and strained urban infrastructures.

3. Complex Race Relations: The breakdown of the Black-Jewish alliance during the 1960s contributed to increased polarization and mutual distrust.

4. Policy Missteps: Initiatives like the War on Poverty, while well-intentioned, often had unintended consequences that fueled further unrest.

5. Education Conflicts: The push for community control in schools led to violent clashes with teachers' unions, illustrating the deep-seated challenges in achieving integrated education.

6. Long-Term Urban Decay: The cumulative effect of these conflicts has left lasting scars on inner-city communities, perpetuating cycles of violence and mistrust.

Darryl Cooper's exploration in this episode underscores the necessity for comprehensive, empathetic, and informed approaches to urban policy and race relations. Without addressing the root causes and fostering genuine understanding, the United States risks perpetuating the very conflicts that have historically divided its urban centers.