Albert Einstein Called Racism “A Disease of White People” in His Little-Known Fight for Civil Rights

[sheshe2]

Albert Einstein’s activities as a passionate advocate for peace were well-documented during his lifetime. His celebrity as a famous physicist and one of the world’s most recognizable faces lent a great deal of weight to his pacifism, a view otherwise not given much consideration in the popular press at almost any time in history. However, according to a 2006 book titled Einstein on Race and Racism by Fred Jerome and Roger Taylor, the scientist was also as passionate about combating racism and segregation as he was about combating war. This facet of Einstein’s life was virtually ignored by the media, as was a visit he made in 1946 to Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, the first degree-granting college for African-Americans and the alma mater of Langston Hughes and Thurgood Marshall.

Invited to Lincoln to receive an honorary degree, Einstein gave a lecture on physics but also bluntly addressed the racial animus that held the country in its grip, reportedly calling racism, “a disease of white people” and saying he “did not intend to be quiet” about his opposition to segregation and racist public policy. Lest anyone think the Nobel-prize-winning physicist was pandering to his audience, the Harvard Gazette offers a comprehensive summary of Einstein’s support of progressive anti-racist causes, including his personal support of members of Princeton’s black community (he paid one man’s college tuition), a town Princeton native Paul Robeson once called “the northernmost town in the south.”

Einstein formed relationships with several prominent black leaders—inviting opera singer Marian Anderson to stay in his home after she was refused a room at the Nassau Inn and appearing as a character witness for W.E.B. Dubois when the latter stood accused of “failing to register as a foreign agent.” But it was his 20-year friendship with Robeson that seems central to his involvement in civil rights causes. The Harvard Gazette writes:

Einstein met Paul Robeson when the famous singer and actor came to perform at Princeton’s McCarter Theatre in 1935. The two found they had much in common. Both were concerned about the rise of fascism, and both gave their support to efforts to defend the democratically elected government of Spain against the fascist forces of Francisco Franco. Einstein and Robeson also worked together on the American Crusade to End Lynching, in response to an upsurge in racial murders as black soldiers returned home in the aftermath of World War II.

http://www.openculture.com/2013/08/albert-einstein-civil-rights-activist.html


Albert Einstein And Segregation In America





“Einstein, when he arrived in America, was shocked at how Black Americans were treated. “There is separation of colored people from white people in the United States,” he said. “That separation is not a disease of colored people. It is a disease of white people. And, I do not intend to be quiet about it.”

And, he wasn’t. Although he had a fear of speaking in public, he made all the effort he could to spread the word of equality, denouncing racism and segregation and becoming a huge proponent of civil rights even before the term became fashionable. Einstein was a member of several civil rights groups (including the Princeton chapter of the NAACP).

http://nedhardy.com/2013/04/22/albert-einstein-and-segregation-in-america/

[Xipe Totec]

1. Sad that it took a genius to see it. nt

[shenmue]

2. I never knew

He was even cooler than I thought.

[sheshe2]

6. Now I want to read this~

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/listing/2670787084531?r=1&kpid=2670787084531&cm_mmc=Google%20Product%20Search-_-Q000000633-_-2670787084531PLA-_-Book_15To24-_-Q000000633-_-2670787084531

[shenmue]

7. I'll look for it at the library

[Tree-Hugger]

3. Very interesting

I never knew this. Thanks for sharing.

[G_j]

4. Facinating!

Thank you!

[G_j]

19. kick

[AverageJoe90]

5. He was truly a man of great honor.

[sheshe2]

9. He was Joe. Thank you.

[azmom]

8. His heart was as big as his brain.

He is a favorite of mine.

[Number23]

10. K&R

[ReRe]

11. What a Dear...

... how wonderful it would have been to live in his time and been a friend. He was an amazing man. Thanks, sheshe, for this OP!

[calimary]

12. Another great find, sheshe2!

Thanks for this! Even more reason to admire this gent.

[sheshe2]

16. One thing about DU~

I keep educating myself. That's why I love my computer, I seek, I search and learn. I toss in buzz words and sometimes find an article I like or I hit images and follow a story there.

I wish more people in the world would do the same, seek knowledge, follow the links, educate. Without the knowledge we will die.

He was a great man in so many ways, he had a heart and a brain and he used them.

I so love you calimary.

[calimary]

20. Love you too, sweetie!

Your posts are always nourishing to the spirit. They certainly help to uplift me. I bet a lot of other DUers feel the same.

[noiretextatique]

13. and his description is correct

It is a disease.

[sheshe2]

14. We can only hope there is a cure, noire.

It is an ugly disease that rots your very soul.

[noiretextatique]

18. there is, however, the patient refuses the cure

and there you have that, friend. the patient does not WANT to be cured.

[Judi Lynn]

15. Thank you for passing on this information. Far more people should know about it. n/t

[Cha]

17. Thank you, she.. Gotta love the genius and the simplicity of his heart.

[sheshe2]

21. I agree Cha~ "Gotta love the genius and the simplicity of his heart."

Even through his fear, he over came that to spread the word.

Although he had a fear of speaking in public, he made all the effort he could to spread the word of equality, denouncing racism and segregation and becoming a huge proponent of civil rights even before the term became fashionable. Einstein was a member of several civil rights groups (including the Princeton chapter of the NAACP).

[napkinz]

22. K&R!

nt