Photograph of Leon Greenman, London 1994
WHEN I was asked by Frances Jeens who usually writes this column, to pick an object in celebration of Black History Month, I decided to highlight this photograph from our collection. You may be thinking that the image selected, of a British-born Jewish man is a strange choice, but for me, this image speaks volumes about the heart of Black History Month. At the centre of the image is the late Leon Greenman, Holocaust survivor and dear friend to the Jewish Museum. Following liberation, Leon dedicated his life to speaking out about the Shoah. Overwhelmed by the injustice of his experience, he filtered his pain into activism — for his community and many others.
The image depicts Leon at a Rock Against Racism (RAR) Event at Brockwell Park in 1994. RAR was a campaign which launched events to encourage people of all races to come together in celebration of music and steer away from racism. This particular event was in collaboration with the Anti-Nazi League, at which Leon spoke out condemning the BNP, racism and fascism. His speech was part of a direct protest against the first BNP councillor in London, Derek Beacon, whom many feared.
This was not the only the instance in which Leon spoke out for marginalised communities. In our collection, we also have a copy of a letter which Leon wrote to a public library, after hearing a man complain that he couldn’t get a newspaper because “all the blacks are reading them.” He shared his outrage and suggested actions that could be put in place to avoid this situation happening again.
“As a Jew, I have suffered plenty, because of the ignorance of manfolk, to the racial question
Leon dedicated his life to speaking out about the Shoah. He filtered his pain into activism
and could not help feeling embarrassed, by the ignorance of this man (and probably by others), of this easy to overcome but dangerous question.”
Leon’s story speaks volumes about the power of allyship and reminds us of the heart of Black History Month. I have learned three main lessons from what he did through his life. First,stand together in support of others. Second, speak up for those who do not have space to do so. Leon Greenman chose to go out of his way to use his voice after witnessing the racist encounter in the library.
And third, show empathy. Though Leon Greenman’s experience was by no means a mirror to the Black British community’s, he understood the fear of being marginalised which sparked the empathy he shared.
Whilst Black History Month is a good time to highlight these stories at the Jewish Museum London we continue to work on Black History programming all year round, not just for one month of the year.
A current project ‘Inclusive Judaism’ seeks to actively collect more images from across the Jewish community which highlight the vibrant diversity within the community — in terms of race, culture, sexuality, practice and beyond.
If you have images you think the Museum should be collecting to reflect the diversity of the community then contact us community@jewishmuseum.org.uk with the subject ‘Inclusive Judaism – Interest’
Frances Jeens is the interim director of the Jewish Museum London, in Camden which has now reopened to the public. Book your visit at jewishmuseum.org.uk