Learning about Afro-Germans

Kaitlin Kramer

JOUR 30803

2/20/14

            I am either utterly naïve or just simply unaware about the fact of African Americans being a thriving demographic in Germany. Before this presentation, I couldn’t even tell you what an “Afro-German” was. (Afro-German: Black Germans defined as German citizens and members of the Black African community) Thanks to an intriguing presentation brought by Cynthia Chapa, TCU Professor of German Studies, I am now a bit more knowledgeable about the subject.

            There is not an exact number of how many blacks are currently living in Germany, this because the German census does not ask for race. I don’t really understand why that is, because it seems that asking that simple question would show Germany’s diversity, or lack there of.

Professor Chapa gave a rough estimate of the African American population being around 500,000 of the entire population of Germany, which is 82 million. That’s a pretty small chunk, but still, it’s even more than I imagined it to be.

            Professor Chapa’s presentation gave us a little history lesson regarding black movement into Germany. We learned that during the Holocaust, approximately 20,000 to 25,000 blacks were exterminated by the hand of the Nazis. Wow! I guess that I forget about all others that were affected besides Jews.

However, it does seem that blacks were treated a little bit differently during this time. I learned that black men and women played a big role in the entertainment industry. Nazi soldiers would often be presented jungle themed shows with the actors being black people.

Thank goodness for people such as the brave Auma Obama, novelist Paulette Reed-Anderson, and Theodor Michael who made waves for African Americans living in Germany. Today, there are more opportunities for Afro-Germans because of the brave people that have gone before and laid the groundwork for African American people to thrive in Germany.