Blacklisted: An American Story An Exhibit More Timely than Ever

The New York Historical's exhibition, "Blacklisted: An American Story," extended through November 2, is a presentation not easily forgotten. A traveling show originated by the Jewish Museum Milwaukee, previously mounted in Los Angeles, and expanded by The New York Historical, the lessons of the "Hollywood Red Scare" couldn't be more relevant to the moment.

My interest in the Blacklist began in eighth grade when my social studies teacher screened "High Noon." He explained that the film was not just a Western, but rather a portrayal of townspeople who lacked the courage to speak or act in opposition to threatening forces out of fear. He informed us that the writer, Carl Foreman, had been blacklisted.

The exhibition is handsomely mounted, with placards that tell the story in vibrant graphics of black, white, grey, and red. There are over 150 objects on display, including pamphlets, personal items from the families of those targeted, letters, and court documents. Using clips from films of the period, as well as footage of testimony from the hearings, a complete sensory environment is created.

When the show opened in April, the president and CEO of The New York Historical, Dr. Louise Mirrer, said, "Our aim with Blacklisted is to prompt visitors to think deeply about democracy and their role in it. The exhibition tackles fundamental issues like freedom of speech, religion, and association, inviting reflection on how our past informs today's cultural and political climate."

The narrative begins with a black screen carrying the words, "The Blacklist 1947."

It describes how, "In 1946, Conservatives took control of the House and Senate." Aided by "vocal anti-Communists," they pressured the executives of the movie studios to root out any in the industry suspected of having present or previous ties to Communist ideology.

Guiding the viewer, the accompanying text for the items on display underscores that America has previously been tainted by illiberalism, prejudice, and movements driven by anxiety and apprehension. It gives the dates of the Blacklist as 1945-1960 and ascribes its rise to the post-World War II reaction to the spread of "global Communism during the Cold War. (1947-1991)" More specifically, it references the apprehension stoked around the "power and influence of the Soviet Union."

At stake were First Amendment rights, which fell by the wayside when "political and corporate interests superseded civil liberties," driven by a specific vision of national security. As a result, people lost their jobs. Others, afraid of the same fate, either remained on the sidelines or succumbed to coercion to save themselves.

There is plenty of backstory. When the Espionage Act of 1917 was enacted, its goal was to disallow "false statements" that could hamper the war effort. Soon, the Act became an instrument of censorship, with foreign-language newspapers as prime targets. The Sedition Act of 1918 criminalized speech or printed matter that qualified the American government with commentary characterized as "contempt, scorn, or disrepute."

The efforts to muzzle speech and dissension intensified in 1919 and 1920, after a steel strike, when Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer spearheaded federal raids on organizations, resulting in the arrest of thousands. During this period, Emma Goldman was deported, the labor movement lost traction, and J. Edgar Hoover got his start as a rookie agent overseeing the raids.

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