Among their several shared experiences, Black and Jewish Americans have
the dubious distinction of being considered "minorities" in American soci-
ety. Other groups are included in this special category, depending on the
nation's sensitivities or its prejudices at any point in time. Currently, the list
includes Americans of Asian and Hispanic descent, persons of differing
sexual preferences, and persons who are physically disabled. A century
ago, the roster included Catholics, Czechs, Poles, Serbs, Hungarians, and
Italians; nearly anyone and everyone whose lineage--ethnic, cultural, or
religious--could not be traced directly to the British Isles. Whether the cate-
gory has been expanded or contracted over the years, Black and Jewish
Americans have remained its most enduring members.

The claim of a unique status among minority groups in the United States
for the nation's Black and Jewish people is subject to challenge from other
designated "minorities." Uncomplimentary though the category might be,
once a group has been named as such, it seems anxious to preserve its spe-
cial niche, even if on an unwanted shelf. Advancing the claim of unique-
ness also risks inviting the comparison and ranking of oppressions, one of
the criteria for determining minority status and, currently, one of the more
ludicrous and fruitless efforts of groups seeking to make a special case for
their circumstances. There are aspects of the experiences of Black and Jew-
ish Americans, however, that are quite unlike those of other minority
groups. To understand what those distinctive attributes are is to grasp why
the "minority" label serves as a covert term whenever Americans actually

-27-