photos: Roger Sabaté.
In 2020 – despite all its setbacks – the Black Lives Matter Movement and its fight for justice and equality for the BIPOC * gained new momentum, not only in the United States but also in Europe. Yet while education and awareness of colonial crimes, racism and xenophobia is a global affair, change begins right outside our door.
So… is black life important in Berlin? Blacks / Maroons, and any other marginalized group in Berlin – whatever their identity, gender or ethnicity – are they getting the representation, recognition and protection they deserve? In a post-Hanau Germany, our eyes must be wide open to the realities of racism today, and the rise of new fascism presenting itself as an eligible “alternative”. In recent polls, the “AfD” has exceeded 10 percent even in Berlin; it is the self-proclaimed capital of freedom and excess of Europe.
15,000 people gathered in silence and in solidarity on Alexanderplatz last June marked a unique moment of hope and assurance for many Berliners. Yet the realities of many marginalized people will not change through a viral event on social media. Social change is uncomfortable and time consuming, difficult enough for a generation accustomed to instant gratification. Have we become too complacent about change?
We spoke with the founders of Black Brown Berlin, an emerging platform for Blacks and Maroons in Berlin, about their mission to give their community a place at the table in the capital and what (white) should do to ensure that Berlin is up to the task. its open and diverse reputation.
Chanel Knight
Said us a little about Black Brown Berlin and how did the idea for this platform come about?
Black Brown Berlin has a core team of four co-founders: Chanel Knight and Femi Oyewole are from the UK, Rhea Ramjohn is from Trinidad and Tobago and the US, and Tristan Littlejohn * comes from the United States. We were lucky to find ourselves, all connected by an individual desire for a deeper connection with this city and for people who resembled us.
Initially, the project was created from a place of frustration and seeking real information. There had been too many stories of bad experiences from black and brown friends who had shared stories about going to spaces presented as BIPOC’s “ friendly ”, just to learn that some of them did not know what had to be done in order for a space to be truly “friendly” BIPOC. Together, we sought to create a new platform where Berliners ‘who look like us’ could find information and a community and connection source for local black and brown businesses.
What is your mission?
We are a community directory and platform that celebrates black and brown culture and community in Berlin. Our goal is to showcase the excellence of BIPOC throughout the city, regardless of their gender identity, age, ability, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, size and cultural background. We seek to provide a range of carefully selected content that informs, connects and serves Berlin’s black and brown community.
Femi Oyewole
What was your experience with the BLM’s “silent demonstration” on June 6 at Alexanderplatz?
In general, it was nice to see support from all types of people; that people have recognized and pointed to the fact that “Black Lives Matter” – but we want to see that same energy throughout the year. You must be wondering why you aren’t supporting a black business today, or how many people in your workspace actually look like the “diverse” world we actually want to see portrayed?
Furthermore, we must recognize that this is not only an “American problem”, but also a deeper European problem than we think. There are so many forms of racism that occur on a daily basis. Even during the protest, there were a lot of non-black people who didn’t give black people the space to be in the foreground.
If you are not black, it is important to ask yourself on a daily basis: “How am I contributing to this system of injustice?”. It’s uncomfortable, yes, but necessary.
We also want the news of the police attacking the protesters after the protest to be reported by the mainstream media. There have been decades of reports of German police brutalizing peaceful protesters. It cannot be ignored.
Rhea ramjohn
What specific actions should those with power and influence in Berlin take to change the conversation and the realities of racism?
It is time for Berlin to finally display precisely the diversity of this city. Platforms like ours and others (who have been here longer than us) are doing it but there may be more! More visual representation of black and brown people in general, more representation of different points of view of the black and brown community. Berlin should recognize and pay tribute to the Blacks and Maroons who have made and continue to make life in this city more just, equitable and anti-racist.
Germany should publicly recognize its colonial past by, for example, removing the street names of people who brutalized blacks and Maroons, removing memorials to colonizers and those responsible for depriving our community of voting rights.
Blacks and Maroons should conduct this conversation with the support of those in power to implement these changes.
It’s time for them to listen, learn, reflect, include and take a step back.
“It was so free to share my poetry with everyone, to talk about discrimination and to have the support and love of the Berlin community.” – Rhea ramjohn
What is your power to change these realities?
Our marketing campaigns display a festive response to the realities of racism – by highlight our community. We would like to see greater representation of the community in leadership positions, teaching positions, recruiting positions, as trainers, decision makers, etc.
A quick solution that we offer is to make information easily accessible to everyone: our menu displays the locations of black and brown owned businesses in Berlin, while our website directory highlights these businesses.
We also have our B! REDI training program that offers anti-discrimination training through seminars and courses to schools, businesses and institutions that really want to do better and grow.
Tristan Littlejohn, Rhea Ramjohn, Chanel Knight, Femi Oyewole
Tell us about some of your successes.
We have been fortunate enough to create and add our voice to the representational conversation in small and large scale projects such as the backstage work for the We Are Here Series, or Rhea, a member of our team, performing one of his pieces of poetry at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt as part of the Anti-Discrimination Days Berlin, and when we were asked to speak to CIEE, an international non-profit educational institute located in Berlin. It was great to meet black and Maroon youth there. We listened to their stories, shared many experiences and were able to offer them a new place of community they can count on in Berlin.
Have you noticed a change in the way people are reacting to this project in light of recent global unrest around anti-black violence and racism?
Yes there is a change, but honestly so far it seems temporary. Remember, as black and brown people ourselves, we know, discuss and stand up for our experiences and those of our community every day. These conversations and this call to action have always been at the forefront of our work for social justice and civil rights. It would be great to see everyone keep pushing this energy forward. It’s vital that people don’t abandon us once the hashtags have worn off.
***
We thank the founders of Black Brown Berlin for granting this interview with us and we look forward to a future collaboration. Stay tuned for more!
* Since the start of October 2020, co-founder Tristan Littlejohn has now moved on to work at other companies.
* BIPOC stands for black, indigenous and people of color
Diesen Artikel auf deutsch lesen.
by Andy
January 6, 2021
in People