Q. Who was known as Mr Brownsville? ~ A. Sam Perl

Excerpted from “Perl’s of Wisdom:” 'Rabbi' Sam Perl, New Models of Acculturation, and the 'In-Between' Jew"

by Allison Elizabeth Schottenstein

1949 October 21 KVAL with Sam Perl (Brownsville Historical Association photo)

Sam Perl’s son Ito Perl recalls how his father extended his colorblind policy to the very few African-American customers he had. Extending this business to this very small demographic was significant because the African-American community had lived in “segregated areas” after the infamous "Brownsville Affair of 1906.”  Those who remained in Brownsville throughout the 1930s and 1940s were consigned to menial positions — longshoremen at the port, Pullman conductors of the railroads, and domestic workers at places like the El Jardin hotel.  Despite its minimal size, the African American community was ostracized by Anglos and Mexicans in Brownsville, largely due to the violent legacy of the raids of the 19th to early 20th century. Brownsville’s Rancho Viejo Floodway Bridge was offensively referred to as “Nigger Bridge” because it was “where General Taylor [had] stationed his negro troops.” Even though small town Jewish businessmen were far more inclined than Anglo-Christian merchants to sell to African-American customers, these business relationships tended to occur in places where African-Americans constituted a significant part of the population.

[Editor's note:  If you're wondering if Taylor was ever in the vicinity of the Rancho Viejo area with colored-troops at the onset of the invasion of Mexico in 1846 the answer is "No."  Clink on this link to know truth about  "Legends and Myths ... from Puente de los Negroes" published on this blog Bronsbil Estacion. ]

This was certainly not the case in Brownsville, where African-Americans were marginalized and tended to be feared. Despite this racist reality, Perl regularly sold Stetson hats to African-American Pullman porters.  The general mistrust of African Americans did not extend to Perl, who had “good relations” with his African-American customers, according to Ito.  Because African-Americans were forced to live on the margins of Brownsville society, commercial exchanges may have been the only way he was able to build relations with them. Unlike the equally small Jewish population, African-Americans were never fully accepted by Brownsville because of perceptions of their historical legacy. The fact that no mention of them is made in relation to Charro Days makes one wonder why Perl did not fight to include them in his community building efforts. But African-Americans may have been reluctant to participate because of the manner in which they were alienated by the community. As Nousel points out, African-Americans in the Brownsville region had their own church, school, and socialization areas like the Union Café.  Perl reached out to them as best he could as a “loving” merchant unafraid to do business with them. This behavior demonstrates how Perl distinguished himself from his brother Leon in terms of risk-taking and community involvement.

In Brownsville, Perl distinguished himself from his brother Leon in the manner in which he seemed to prioritize relationship building in the community. According to Weiner, when Perl was asked at one point in his life if he would ever consider running for office, he declined because instead of political influence he preferred to have “friends, friends, friends” and as we have seen, Perl befriended people regardless of their cultural background. In contrast, Leon was a wallflower who did not invest himself as much with other people in the community. Weiner describes Leon as

reserved, quiet, formal, and immaculate . . . When customers entered, Leon talked quality, price, fabric, and design. When customers departed, he returned to his wife’s side, leaning against a counter, looking over her shoulders, chatting softly, closing his eyes, and catching a cat nap. Leon assumed that stance so often that the weight of his body wore a circular depression in the red-and-white checkered linoleum floor.

Clearly, Leon was more of a behind-the-scenes type as a clothing merchant and did not share his brother’s sociability. As Ben Edelstein claimed in his self-published memoir of his father’s life, “Sam Perl was . . . a colorful individual. He was [someone] . . . we addressed as Uncle Sam. Sam was one of the most active people in Brownsville, and a very dear friend of the Edelstein clan. There was nothing that happened in town without his knowledge . . . [He was] always doing something for his city.”  To Edelstein, Sam represented “Uncle Sam”; Leon was simply “Leon” or “Uncle Sam’s brother.” Metaphorically, Sam was also an “Uncle Sam” figure in that he was becoming the personification of small town America. In Brownsville, he was someone people considered close enough to be family. According to Weiner, Perl “was a scotch-on-the rocks man, an incurable storyteller.” Indeed, Perl epitomized the small town Jew who strives to be active and visible in the community in order to be seen as a positive “representative” of Jews, instead of as a marginalized outsider.  He joined groups like the Kiwanis Club of Brownsville, The Brownsville Chamber of Commerce, The Masons, the Shriners, and the Elks.  Perl’s dynamic personality inevitably enabled him to distinguish himself from Leon and began to take more of a central role in the Brownsville community. As local architect engineer Jim Hiester would later say, “I know of no one who has contributed more to Brownsville than Sam Perl.” The Fashion Perl Bros. may have been co-owned, but in time Perl owned more than the business — he owned a  glowing reputation. This was especially evident when Perl became the standard-bearer for the Jewish people of Brownsville.

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Google image of Sam Perl Blvd which stretches from downtown St Charles and 12th St paralleling  the Rio Grande until it reaches the Old Bridge to Mexico on Mexico Blvd.  It symbolically joins America with Mexico characteristic to Sam Perl's place in the border community.

Also Sam Perl info from --->  Texas State Historical Association - Handbook of Texas

Sample ads from Brownsville Herald.

 Bill King wrote this for his friend Sam.  Bill King also wrote "Rattling Yours..." about his father "Snake" King

This is good information to have next time you're asked who Sam Perl was and why a boulevard was named after him.

Majestic Theater lobby 1949  (BHA archives)

Here's where we delve into the unsure.  This photo was taken at the Majestic Theater lobby on December 11, 1949 is cropped to magnify details of prizes and signs alluding to contest and $3000 in prizes.  One internet source states Mr. Sam Perl was honored in the 1970s as "Mr. Brownsville" but that might have been in slight error.  It is possible that 1949 was the year and while being honored in the 1970s the public was reminded of Perl's long continuous service to his community and forgot to mention 1949 as year he was named Mr Brownsville?  Perl's name was always in the paper for many reasons such as those already described in the Schottenstein document.

1952 Perl Bros Botany Daroff window display contest photos for Men's Magazine (image courtesy of Nora Vasquez at Junk N Treasure)