Stolen Moments: Jewish Themes and Cultural Allyship in African American Art

In Partnership with the Haberman Institute for Jewish Studies

Presented by Dr. LaNitra M. Berger
Associate Professor of History and Art History; Director of African and African American Studies, George Mason University

Join the Haberman Institute for Jewish Studies and CJM for an engaging conversation uncovering the powerful and often overlooked connections between Black and Jewish identity through the work of African American artists.

Dr. LaNitra Berger will discuss the first book-length study of cultural allyship that focuses on Jewish themes in Black art. Until recently, most research has examined how Jewish artists incorporate Black or racial themes into their work—not the other way around.

Her book, Stolen Moments: Jewish Themes and Cultural Allyship in African American Art, argues that Black American artists’ contributions to the Black-Jewish relationship are robust; however, they have often been misinterpreted, forgotten, or suppressed. By incorporating Jewish themes into their work, Black American artists connect Black and Jewish identity in diverse and complex ways. Because of their own experiences with racism and oppression, Black artists have been uniquely positioned to engage with Jewish themes and enrich broader discussions of how racial identity is formed in America.

Stolen Moments centers the work of five influential Black American artists from the late 19th century to the present who have incorporated Jewish themes into their work, and in doing so, have found strong connections between Black and Jewish identity.

LaNitra M. Berger is an award-winning scholar and educator who is making higher education more accessible to underrepresented students.

She is an associate professor of history and art history and the director of African and African American Studies at George Mason University. Her scholarly interests are in art and social activism in the African and Jewish diasporas. She is currently the president and board chair of the Pozez Jewish Community Center in Fairfax, Virginia. LaNitra is the author of Irma Stern and the Racial Paradox of South African Modern Art: Audacities of Color (Bloomsbury, 2020). She is also the editor of Social Justice and International Education: Research, Practice, and Perspectives (NAFSA, 2020). LaNitra received her BA in art and international relations from Stanford University and an MA and PhD in art history from Duke University.