The African- American students were fascinated . They knew nothing about Black Germans and our history .
With astonishment and distrust , white people at the roadside eyed the protest march . Rarely had they seen so many Black people protesting on the streets of Berlin . Only a few photographs of this demonstration exist . Back then , on June 9 , 1991 , there were no smartphones or social media to capture every moment and post selfies to a global audience . The digital ‘ I was here ’ - culture had not yet arrived .
So , the demonstration soon fell into oblivion , except for those who took part in it . The Black German newspaper “ afro look ” wrote : “ The successful demonstration of June 9 , 1991 , which was organized by various Black groups within a few days , and which was attended by around 2,500 predominantly Black Berliners of all generations who took to the streets to protest against racist terror , was an important political milestone in Berlin . It also showed how quickly ( even without the media ) and above all how well Black Berliners are able to mobilize their own people to speak for themselves .”
Jeannine , Josh and Josie Kantara
Back then , a few months after German reunification , Black Life in Germany was under a massive threat . As mainstream society celebrated the new greater Federal Republic , Black people looked with growing concern at the rising hostility against anything that was presumed foreign . The Afro- German poet May Ayim described it aptly : » a reunited Germany / is celebrating again in 1990 / without immigrants , refugees , Jewish and Black people ... / it is celebrating in an intimate circle / it is celebrating in white / but it is a blues in black and white / it ’ s a blues «.
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