ANTI-BLACK MEDALS
Without getting into the fruitless argument of which body of individuals may have suffered more injustices than another, suffice it to say that black Africans and their descendants throughout the world stand out among the top as victims of racial prejudice.  The manifestations of this bigotry run the gamut from the scourge of slavery to the still prevalent discrimination in employment and housing.  Relevant to the present discussion is the intolerance revealed by the issuance of anti-black medals, three of which are shown below.

Among the most widely known medals for promoting anti-black sentiment are those by the prolific German medallist of the early 20th century, Karl Goetz.  The most notorious of these is The Watch on the Rhine also called Die schwarze Schande (The Black Shame) medal (Figure 32), issued in 1920 to protest the sending of black colonial French troops to occupy the Rhine territory. 


This satirical medal shows on the obverse a caricature of a black African soldier; on the reverse is depicted a nude woman tied to a large phallus.  The purpose of this medal was to spread the malicious propaganda of black soldiers raping white women.  Goetz issued three similar medals with the same theme. In version shown here, the reverse legend is double imposed to suggest an image of a long, painful cry (according to Kienast) or the angry shaking of the earth out of outrage for what was occurring (according to Goodman).

Another work by Karl Goetz, also issued in 1920, serves again to illustrate explicit racist propaganda in medals (Figure 33). 


This medal, entitled Code Napoleon (Wüstlinge am Rhein), is designed to criticize the French government for the behavior of their occupation forces.  The medal implies that the French colonial troops sought sexual favors from the German women and that the French government converted German residences into brothels.  Racism is evident as the obverse of this medal shows black soldiers chasing German girls.  The reverse depicts a market place with a statue of the Virgin Mary, with Negro soldiers assaulting German woman, the legend around reading Wüstlinge am Rhein (Lechers on the Rhein).  In case there were any doubt as to who were the perpetrators of this offense, the top of one of the houses is inscribed LUST HAUS FUR NEGER ( Whore-house for Negros).

Another propaganda piece by Goetz is Der Staat (The State) issued in 1924 (Figure 34) at the height of inflation in Germany. 


On the obverse is shown a beggar holding a penny while a billion mark paper note is pinned to his coat, with the legend translated as: “One billion marks in paper equals one copper penny.  The first is very much, the last is very little”. 

The reverse of this medal provides the racist connotation.  It is inscribed with a continuous circle of the German words BETE-UND-AR.  The explanation of the inscription, as provided by Kienst, is that "by leaving the letter I out of the word ARBEITE (work) Goetz was able to create an endless circle of the words bete und arbeite, thus BETE-UND-AR-BETE-UND-AR-BETE- " . Thereby Goetz has fashioned an endless circle of the words "Pray and work, pray and work...". The implicit racism is evinced by the depiction of a French soldier caricatured as a black man standing guard while an old woman prays and an old man digs.


CONCLUSION
In reviewing the history of religious and racial intolerance, as reflected in historical and commemorative medals, and the role medals have played in recording and even promoting religious and racial bigotry, we reach the same conclusions that countless others have established through the ages. Namely, that on the one hand, religion serves as a source and inspiration for the most unselfish acts and noble deeds, the most beautiful art, and most glorious music ever devised by humankind. At the same time, by advocating with force the superiority of one group's theological views over another's, by subverting the basic tenets of the religious doctrine, and by providing the excuse for political and military aggression, religion has been responsible for some of the most heinous crimes, massacres and injustices ever promulgated against humanity.

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COPYRIGHT 2008 Benjamin Weiss, All rights reserved.
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