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Abstract
In this paper, I discuss my life history study on experiences of race in the lives of Jewish-Canadian and Jewish-American birth mothers of children from black/white interracial, inter-religious relationships. Opening with a reflection on my personal experience and what compelled me to undertake this research, I then provide a short introduction to attitudes about interracial/inter-religious relationships found in the literature, followed by an introduction to my research methodology. Finally, I compare and contrast the experiences of three Jewish-American mothers, excerpted from their published narratives, and the experiences of two Jewish-Canadian mothers from two recorded interviews, with my own experience. I conclude this paper with a brief summary of the emerging themes in my research and how they add to our understanding of mothering across racialized boundaries.
Notes
1. My doctoral research at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto.
2. The term ‘racialized’ is relatively new. According to Tizard and Phoenix (Citation2002, p. 6), this term clarifies the concept of ‘race’ as a socially constructed category rather than a biological reality. In this sense, ‘racial meanings’ are neither naturally occurring nor static, but rather, are dynamic social processes. My use of this term concurs with this view.
3. In the USA, where most current research on these families originates, the abolition of anti-miscegenation laws in 1967, the civil rights movement, affirmative action, and the inclusion of biracial and mixed-race categories in the US Census Bureau's racial classification system in 2000 (Root Citation2001) suggest continued growth and possible acceptance of this population. In Britain, Tizard and Phoenix's (Citation2002) research found that attitudes toward interracial unions have become more sympathetic. Canadian data found in the 2006 census (Toronto Globe and Mail 2008) and Canada's increased population from non-white countries (for a discussion of this, see AECMMT Citation1995) reflect a similar trend.
4. For a comprehensive introduction to the troubled relationship between these two groups in the USA, see acclaimed Jewish-American jazz critic Nat Hentoff's (Citation1970) edited book Black Anti-Semitism and Jewish Racism.
5. Born of his curiosity about his mother's Jewish identity and early life as a Jewish woman in the South, James McBride's (Citation1996) memoir draws on conversations with and research about her.
6. Hettie Jones, author and teacher at the Graduate Writing Program of The New School in New York City, is a former chair of the PEN Prison Writing Committee, and the editor of Aliens at the Border, a collection of poetry her workshop at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility.
7. Leroi Jones (now known as Amiri Baraka) is a noted American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays and music criticism. He has frequently been criticized for his early writings, which were often misogynistic, homophobic, anti-white and anti-Semitic.
8. Jane Lazarre is a writer and instructor at the New School for Social Research in New York. In 2003, she was a featured writer in the PBS documentary ‘Matters of Race’, produced and directed by Orlando Bagwell. Her writing has been the subject of critical works by many scholars including Susan Gubar, Jessica Benjamin, Maureen T. Reddy, Sara Ruddick, Joanne Frye and others.
9. Jordan was called ‘Jew baby’ and ‘Christ killer’ (McBride 1996, p. 40).
10. Busing refers to the desegregating practice of assigning and transporting students to schools in order to overcome the detrimental effects of racial and residential segregation on black children's education.
11. Deborah and Valerie are pseudonyms chosen to protect the identity of these participants.
12. Miller and Miller (Citation1990) cite studies on socialization and the black family.