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Albert Einstein:
Champion of Racial Justice and
Equality
Albert Einstein was a scientific
genius. He greatly advanced our understanding of energy, matter,
gravity, space, and time. In fact, he changed our view of how
the universe works!
But he was also an ardent defender
of human rights. He allied himself with African American leaders
and referred to the oppression of Black people as America’s” Worst
Disease.”
The New Jersey Historical Society is
privileged to have on display through February 28th the pop-up exhibit “Albert Einstein: Champion of
Racial Justice and Equality.” This exhibit is jointly produced by
the Witherspoon-Jackson Historical and Cultural Society and the
Princeton Einstein Museum of Science with support from the McCutchen
Foundation. (The New Jersey Historical Society contact
information can be found at the bottom of this announcement.)
In 1931, before Einstein arrived in
the United States, W.E.B. Dubois, one of the founders of the NAACP
and editor of its magazine, The Crisis, asked Einstein to
contribute an article on the evil of racial prejudice, to
his commentary, Einstein encouraged African Americans to not let
bigots destroy their self-worth. He suggested “Conscious Educational
Enlightenment” as a tool to combat racism.
When Einstein arrived in Princeton,
he described his adopted home as a “paradise” where he no longer
faced the Nazi threats he endured in Germany. But Princeton was
also a segregated town where White and Black citizens lived
separately. Albert found these circumstances abhorrent.
The most famous scientist in the
world would often be seen strolling through the streets of the
segregated Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood. Many of the
residents recognized the famous scientist but simply accepted him as
a friendly visitor.
Shirley Satterfield, a child at the
time said “Einstein didn’t look down on people. He was so
nice. Sometimes I would go on walks around the Institute for
Advanced Studies with Dr. Einstein holding my hand.”
Henry Pannell said “I guess
everybody my age in this community remembers seeing Einstein when we
were kids…I remember him coming up and sitting on my grandmother’s
porch and chatting with her.”
In 1937 Marian Anderson, the
pioneering African American singer, was refused hotel lodging after
giving a recital in Princeton so Albert invited her to stay at his
house instead. In the following years, the world-famous performer was
a welcome guest at the Einstein home whenever she came to town.
When Paul Robeson Founded the
American Crusade Against Lynching, he invited Einstein to co-chair
the organization. In 1946, Dr. Einstein wrote a letter to President
Truman supporting federal legislation to officially outlaw lynching,
but the bill faced heavy opposition, and shockingly, a national law
prohibiting lynching did not pass until 2022.
Dr. Einstein rarely traveled in his
later years, but in 1946 he agreed to visit Lincoln University, a
historically Black college in Pennsylvania. He gave a lecture on
his theory of relativity and also denounced segregation during the
graduation address. Lincoln awarded Einstein an honorary degree,
but this distinction was ignored by the mainstream media.
In his own words, Albert Einstein is
quoted; "As long as I have any choice in the matter, I shall
live only in a country where civil liberty, tolerance, and equality
of all citizens before the law prevail"
For further information on the “Princeton
Einstein Museum of Science” please visit
https://princetoneinsteinmuseum.org/
Contact the New Jersey Historical
Society, 52 Park Place, Newark NJ 07102 973-596-8500 www.jerseyhistory.org
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