African American Civil Rights and Germany in the 20th Century

Conference at Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, NY)
October 01 – 03, 2009
Jointly organized by the German Historical Institute Washington DC and Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, NY)

Conveners: Maria Höhn (Vassar College) and Martin Klimke (GHI Washington)

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The conference brought together scholars of history, literature and cultural studies from Germany, the U.S., and Australia to explore the links between the African-American Civil Rights Movement and Germany throughout the twentieth century. The pre-conference program started on Wednesday afternoon with a screening of the film The Negro Soldier from 1944, directed by Stuart Heisler, U.S. War Department, and introduced by Mia Mask. Subsequently, Leon Bass, a World War II veteran, gave a lecture, “Fighting in the Jim Crow Army: A Black Sergeant Remembers Buchenwald.” As a nineteen-year-old, Bass served in the 183rd Engineer Combat Battalion, a segregated unit of the U.S. Army, and was among the soldiers who liberated the Buchenwald concentration camp in 1945. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Bass gave a moving recollection of his own struggles with racism in the U.S. military during his training in the South, and of putting his life on the line for a country that did not deem him “good enough.” He recounted how seeing the atrocities committed at Buchenwald led him to become an agent for social change upon his return to the U.S.

Read complete article here…

1. What do you think caused your heterosexuality?

2. When and where did you decide you were a heterosexual?

3. Is it possible this is just a phase and you will out grow it?

4. Is it possible that your sexual orientation has stemmed from a neurotic fear of others of the same sex?

5. Do your parents know you are straight? Do your friends know- how did they react?

6. If you have never slept with a person of the same sex, is it just possible that all you need is a good gay lover?

7. Why do you insist on flaunting your heterosexuality… can’t you just be who you are and keep it quiet?

8. Why do heterosexuals place so much emphasis on sex?

9. Why do heterosexuals try to recruit others into this lifestyle?

10. A disproportionate majority of child molesters are heterosexual… Do you consider it safe to expose children to heterosexual teachers?

11. Just what do men and women do in bed together? How can they truly know how to please each other, being so anatomically different?

12. With all the societal support marriage receives, the divorce rate is spiraling. Why are there so few stable relationships among heterosexuals?

13. How can you become a whole person if you limit yourself to compulsive, exclusive heterosexuality?

14. Considering the menace of overpopulation how could the human race survive if everyone were heterosexual?

15. Could you trust a heterosexual therapist to be objective? Don’t you feel that he or she might be inclined to influence you in the direction of his orher leanings?

16. There seem to very few happy heterosexuals. Techniques have been developed that might enable you to change if you really want to.

17. Have you considered trying aversion therapy?

- Martin Rochlin, Ph.D., 1972

1. Acknowledging differences exist
2. Understanding why those differences exist
3. Appreciating the unique values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors of different cultures
4. Adapting our behavior — including our communication style — to meet the needs of others.

Don’t stop at Step 1. It is only the beginning!

Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice — and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.

^{Vienna, October 24, 2009}

Beatrice Achaleke (39), Chairwoman of the Black European Women’s Council, BEWC, and Initiator of the Vienna International Center for Black Women’s Perspectives, AFRA, was recognized on September 17, 2009 with the „Global Diversity Innovation Award“ at the World Diversity Leadership-Summit in Washington for her engagement for black women in Europe. She succeeds last year’s winner, Vaclav Havel.

Award for diversity and equal opportunity
Beatrice Achaleke, the „black Austrian from Cameroon“, as she calls herself, has since many years stood up fought for the equality for black women in the European society. Last week on September 17, her engagement was honored with the „Global Diversity Innovation Award“. The prize, which is yearly awarded from the „World Diversity Leadership Council“ initiative, in the scope of the similar named congress in Washington, recognizes personalities for their daily positive contact with diversity. „The honour is not only an incrediable appreciation, but also as a contract of the World Diversity Council, to support diversity as a society’s potential and not as a problem. „I take this contract very seriously and I will even stronger pursue for diversity and integration in Austria and Europe“, says Beatrice Achaleke, who is already back to Austria to work on her next projects.
Chance: Diversity
In her function as chairwoman for the Vienna Organisation AFRA, International Center for Black Women’s Perspectives, the sociology graduate organised in 2007, the European year of the Chance Equality, the first Black Women’s Congress in Vienna. For the coming year, the European Variant of the World Diversity Leadership Summits, which has succcessfully been held in the USA for the last six years, is planned in Austria. Goal of the conference, to which renowned international diversity experts are expected, is to discuss future strategies and perspectives for the positive dealing with cultural diversity. „Diversity provides chance, not hinderances“, Achaleke is convinced. Two years ago, the commited powerwoman, founded to the Black European Women’s Council, BEWC, a network from black women’s establishments from twelve EU-Member States and Switzerland. „I want to pull out black women and visible minorities from their victim positions and encourage them to appear more confident“, says Achaleke.
Multiple Prize holder
As founder of AFRA, BEWC and the association „Black Women’s Community“ and publisher of the book „Voices of Black European Women“ Beatrice Achaleke was already in 2008 awarded with the MiA-Award for women with migration background and in spring 2009 with the States Honor for Intercultural Activities, as well as the „Myriam Makebe African Diva“-honorary prize from Radio Afrika. Besides Intercultural Mentoring, Adult education and her work in the society’s politics and migration, the new-Austrian manages with equal engagement her four-head family.

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comm:unications, Agent for PR, Events & Marketing, Mag. Sabine Siegert

Tel. 01/ 315 14 11-44, sabine.siegert@communications.co.at, www.communications.co.at

AFRA – International Center for Black Women’s Perspectives, Beatrice Achaleke

Tel. 01/ 966 04 25, office@blackwomencenter.org , www.blackwomencenter.org

Ein resümierender Kurzkommentar zum Abschluss der Premiere der (Wander‐) Ausstellung

>>Die Dritte Welt im Zweiten Weltkrieg<<

‐ Berlin, Uferhallen vom 1. September -

- 30. September 2009 ‐

Prof. Dr. Maureen Maisha Eggers

Professorin für Kindheit und Differenz (Diversity Studies)

Bloße Verewigungsarbeit? (oder) Was ist die koloniale Matrix der Geschichte?

Einige Überlegungen zur Kontroverse um die Ausstellung >>Die erzwungene Verstrickung von kolonialisierten Gesellschaften in einem weißen Weltkrieg<<

Meine Kernkritik gilt nicht in erster Linie dem Begriff der Kollaboration. Ich finde die Verwendung des Begriffs in diesem Zusammenhang im höchsten Maße problematisch – viel problematischer finde ich jedoch die thematische Einfassung des Materials. Der Titel der Ausstellung >>Die Dritte Welt im Zweiten Weltkrieg<< legt nahe – gewissermaßen im Subtext, dass es um Schwarze Menschen und People of Color geht, die sich an unserem (weißen europäischen) Krieg beteiligten. Sie machten also auf unterschiedlicher Weise mit, und da eben auch im Sinne von Kollaboration.
Das Material der Ausstellung offenbart allerdings, dass es das (weiße europäische) wir war, welches in bestehende Gesellschaften eingedrungen ist. Über sie hergefallen ist. Ihre Ressourcen, Lebensraum und Lebenskraft über Jahre hinweg sich zu Eigen machte und damit eingebunden hat.

(Hier weiterlesen)

Yesterday I received a copy of a job ad posted by a youth psychiatric center in the German city of Hamburg. This center, which presumably has a large clientele  of various African heritages, was looking to hire a new social worker/kindergarten teacher/nursery nurse.

What caught my eye was the description of a central qualification this center was seeking:

Command of the African language

Here is a copy of the email I forwarded to the person listed as contact in the ad:

Sehr geehrte Frau XXXX,

ohne den Umfang oder Ausmaß der Arbeit Ihrer Einrichtung aus dem fernen NRW wirklich einschätzen zu können, bin ich sicher, daß sie als sehr wichtig und richtig zu betrachten ist. Gerade aus diesem Grunde möchte ich mir erlauben Ihnen zu Ihrem kürzlich erschienenen Stellenangebot einen Hinweis zu geben.

Stellen Sie sich einfach vor, sie würden in den USA, Asien oder Afrika – egal ob als potentielle/r Bewerber/in oder Patient/in – auf eine ähnliche Anzeige mit folgendem Überschrift entdecken:

Diplom-Sozialpädagoge/in Sozialarbeiter/in Erzieher/in mit Kenntnissen der europäischen Sprache

Was wäre Ihr Eindruck über die Kompetenz der betroffene Einrichtung sowie der Menschen, die dort andere betreuen sollen? Wie groß wäre Ihr Vertrauen?

Ihre Einrichtung hat gewiss – auch unter ihren afrikanischen Patient(inn)en – eine sehr diverse Zielgruppe. Deshalb ist eine der wichtigsten Primär-Schritten, um diese Zielgruppe effektiv und effizient betreuen zu können, das Erlangen eines grundlegenden Verständnisses für – sowie eines greifbaren Respekts vor – der Diversität ihrer kulturellen Hintergründen und individuellen Historien. Erst dann lassen sich die wichtigen Gemeinsamkeiten als Basis einer wertschätzenden Betreuung feststellen.

Ich hoffe Ihnen und Ihrer Einrichtung – stellvertretend für die Menschen, die Sie betreuen – mit diesem Hinweis behilflich gewesen zu sein.

Mit freundlichem Gruß

Trina Roach

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360° of Diversity
On Equal Footing in a Changing World

(Loose translation of body copy:

“Without being able to judge the extent and volume of your center’s work from far-away North-Rhine Westphalia, I am sure that it is both important and appropriate. That is precisely why I would like to provide you with a comment on your recent job ad.

Just image you were in the USA , Asia or Africa and – whether as a potential applicant or patient – encounter a similar ad with the following headline:

Kindergarten Teacher/Nursery Nurse/Social Worker with command of the European Language

What would be your impression of this center’s and its staff’s competency? How high would your level of trust be?

Your center surely has – also amongst its African patients – a very diverse target group. One of the essential primary steps in the ability to treat your target group effectively and efficiently includes establishing a proficient understanding of – and tangible respect for – the diversity of their cultural backgrounds, as well as their individual histories. Only then can the important commonalities be defined that provide a basis for respectful treatment.

I hope I have provided you and your team – and therefore indirectly the people you treat – with a helpful tip.)

Maybe the following visual would have helped – not only the person writing this ad – when it comes to visualizing Africa, a continent of 53 countries where more than 2000 languages are spoken?