Yesterday , Today and Beyond
LETTER OF AN AFRO-GERMAN MOTHER TO HER AFRO-GERMAN CHILDREN
BY JEANNINE KANTARA Dear Josephine , dear Joshua ,
I am writing this letter to share my thoughts and feelings with you . You are now young adults who take a critical look at your surroundings . Our family often sits together and discusses the issues that concern you . Naturally , as your parents , these issues are also important to us . You are constantly presenting us with new challenges .
It is exciting , sometimes exhausting , but exactly what we want from you . Our conversations often deal with your own identity and the question of your place in this society . A place that , unfortunately , you still must fight for and defend every day . Our most important concern is to support you in this struggle . How can you steel yourself - against exclusion , against injuries and injustice ? We know that it is not always possible . And perhaps you do not need our help as much anymore , since you have grown into self-confident individuals who clearly express their wishes and needs .
Nevertheless , you still experience racism almost daily .
As Afro-German parents , we can share these experiences with you and stand by your side . Just like on June 6 , 2020 , when we protested together with hundreds of thousands of people around the globe against racism and violence against Black people . The images of the murder of George Floyd by white police officers in Minneapolis shocked the world . In Berlin too , people took to the streets . On that sunny day , when a huge crowd chanted “ Black lives matter ,” I really realized how much things had changed … - and how little at the same time .
I recalled another day in June when Black people were parading through downtown Berlin . They held up signs that read ‘ Racism kills ’ and ‘ An injury to one is an injury to all ’. At the front of the protest , some participants carried papier-mâché coffins as a reminder of all those who had fallen victim to racist violence in Germany . The demonstrators confidently demanded justice for these victims .
Theodor Wonja Michael ( January 15 , 1925- October 19 , 2019 ) - holding Joshua when he was a few weeks old in 2002
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