[Chicago Crossings: Bridges and Boundaries, reel 86; Student Mural Interviews on Michigan Ave]

"Man on the street" style interviews of people passing by the mural that was created in conjunction with the Spertus Museum of Judaica's 1992 exhibition "Bridges and Boundaries." In this tape, they interview a Jewish woman who works for the American Jewish Congress, a black man who works for the African American AIDS Network, and a homeless black man.

0:00Copy video clip URL Bars & tone.

0:59Copy video clip URL A Kartemquin video crew conducts “man-on-the-street” interviews of people walking by the mural. First they interview a Jewish woman named Sheryl. She is interested in the image of the shofar being blown by an African figure, and talks about a willingness to use each other’s symbols. She believes the image of togetherness expressed in the mural is needed, and talks some about her own history growing up alongside black people.

5:10Copy video clip URL She also says that she would like to see more effort being made in the black community to work with the Jewish community. “The next time I’d like to see something happening at… the DuSable.”

6:10Copy video clip URL She says that she is the president of the American Jewish Congress and that she is working closely with Black–Jewish relations. She also admits that while she would like to see the black community reach out in the same way the Jewish community has, she can also understand that blacks may have more important issues to deal with. She also believes it’s important to support the creative young people who “don’t have to use the words [she’s] using, because they can really get it out there.”

8:45Copy video clip URL She also talks about how there are a lot of groups “being trampled on” beyond just the blacks and the Jews, and that it might be necessary to look outside themselves and involve other multicultural groups.

12:00Copy video clip URL The crew interviews a black man who says he is the director of the African American AIDS Network. He thinks everyone has something to say, and should be able to say it in a space where they will be heard. He thinks the mural is “a pretty active piece,” and says that he thinks sometimes both sides say a little too much about their past problems, but that there are still hidden problems that blacks and Jews face, and they are similar problems.

15:01Copy video clip URL He says he thinks that blacks and Jews need to come together and collaborate on jobs and the economy. He talks about his own work for the African American AIDS Network. He says he thinks both black people and Jewish people have a strong spirit and a drive to not give up when they’re beaten down. He talks about his travels and also about going to a university that was mostly white, and that he found it easier to work with Jewish student groups than other white students groups because of a sense of commonality.

20:41Copy video clip URL He says he hasn’t encountered much tension between blacks and Jews, and has actually developed close contact with some Jews as part of his job with the African American AIDS Network. He also talks a little bit about Louis Farrakhan, and says he thinks there is some misunderstanding about what Farrakhan is actually talking about because his harsh tone is easy to misinterpret. He says at the very least, it has opened the issue up and encouraged more people to think about it and talk about it themselves.

24:07Copy video clip URL B-roll of the museum and the mural.

27:46Copy video clip URL They interview a homeless black man, who talks about the relationship between black and Jews and why he thinks that relationship broke down. He also talks about being able to guess people’s nationalities.

 

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