Children of the Liberation

This volume collects the voices of descendents of African American soldiers who liberated Germany from fascist rule. Black German writers here convey their experiences through life writing, interviews and literary works as well as through research essays that illuminate this almost forgotten history of US AmericanGerman relations.

This volume was originally published in German in 2015, commemorating the end of World War II seventy years earlier and acknowledging the contribution of African American soldiers to Germany's liberation from fascist rule. Using an interdisciplinary approach, it collects the voices of some of the descendants of these World War II heroes. In this volume, Black Germans of this post-war generation relate and analyse their experiences from various perspectives. Historical, political and research essays alongside life writing, interviews and literary texts form a kaleidoscope through which a new perspective on an almost forgotten part of German history and US AmericanGerman relationships is conveyed. The collection explores causes and consequences of racism in the past and in the present as well as developing strategies for achieving positive changes.

Autorentext

Marion Kraft is an African American German scholar, retired college and university teacher, lecturer, author, editor and translator. She studied German and American literatures at the universities of Cologne and Frankfurt/Main (Germany) and at the Ohio State University (US) and holds a doctorate of philosophy from the University of Osnabrück (Germany). She has published numerous essays on racism, literature, feminism and the Black movement in Germany and has five books to her credit.

Inhalt

CONTENTS: Part I: Black People in Germany Marion Kraft: Re-presentations and Re-definitions: Black People in Germany in the Past and Present Part II: Life Writing: Witnessed History Lita Littles Wimbley: Else Lindenbeck and Leslie Littles: An African American-German Family History Ruth E. Spencer: A Long Journey Home: From a German Orphanage to the Black Bourgeoisie and Back Roy Merz: Unexpected Encounters with the Past Thomas Usleber: Which Figure Does Not Belong? About the Impossibility of Belonging Ria Cheatom: Ways Out of Isolation Mike Reichel: Black Police Officer and Activist Jasmin Eding: One Family, Two Continents Ika Hügel-Marshall: Crossing Borders, Overcoming Boundaries Helga Emde: Bridges Eleonore Wiedenroth-Coulibaly: Germany: A Springtime Tale Part III: Change of Perspective Tracey O. Patton: Because We're Embarrassed: Memory, Post-memory and Relections on Race and Rejection Rosemarie Peña: Stories Matter: Experiences of Black German Adoptees in the U.S. Marion Kraft: Searching for Traces: Discontinuity and Identity in African American-German Autobiographies Bärbel Kampmann: Black Germans: Social Realities and Problems of a Neglected Minority Judy Gummich: Inclusion: Different Perspectives on a Principle of Human Rights Marion Kraft: African Diaspora: Critical Relections on a Concept Part IV: Remembrance of Changes and Breakthroughs Ika Hügel-Marshall: ADEFRA: How It All Began a Conversation with Ria Cheatom, Jasmin Eding and Judy Gummich Marion Kraft: From Champion Boxer and Prison Inmate to Social Worker: A Conversation with Charly Graf Part V: The Power of Language: Poems Helga Emde: Changes Thomas Usleber: The Ballad of Mr. Sample Thomas Usleber: The Silence Eleonore Wiedenroth-Coulibaly: The Power of Words Empowerment May Ayim: Distant Connections Audre Lorde: A Litany for Survival