As a woman of blatant insults reported to her black man in the alley. Another Person tells of a visit to the doctor:
people tell of everyday situations in which they are devalued because of their appearance or exclusion, for example:
“if I am told that I beautiful am for a Black.”
“when people are running past me, calling me a terrorist or a suicide bomber.”
“if I were to show up at the checkout with debit card payment to my personal ID, because the Name is too German for my appearance.”
Some people notice when self-critical behavior:
“when I think in the case of children of two parents with different skin colors “caramel babies”. This is me pretty uncomfortable, because I it is absolutely not angry with my, but it’s definitely racist..”
“if I leave my backpack a bit away from me and more attentive to the fact look, when I see a POC man in the vicinity.” (POC=People of Color)
“if I see hear a group of black people in the public space, chill, and music, and then immediately to drug use/dealing think.”
Ramey is certain: “Every German has seen racism before, experienced, self-made or noticed.” And it had to be spoken.
#iseeracism campaign: Over 50 reviews
the murder of The Afro-American George Floyd unleashed in June a new discussion about racism in Germany. Ramey was there just in the middle of preparing their first state examination at the University of Bonn and was shocked: “This could be my father, I can be.”
The #iseeracism campaign Ramey was launched first on Twitter and Facebook. On Instagram, the action ran but the best. Over 50 reviews achieved Ramey in the last few weeks. Together with her fiance, she published the image on the page.
On the Instagram page, most of the messages a spin as a private message. Because the experiences are the senders often embarrassing or emotionally, says Ramey. The published quotes describe everyday situations in school, at work or on the road.
everyday racism: “You don’t belong to it”
everyday racism means for Ramey to feel excluded: “these are not situations in which your says To you, you belong here. Individually, they are often not bad, the lot of it.“
As an example, she mentions the simple question: Where do you come from? “My father comes from the USA, my mother from the Philippines. I was born in Germany, and nothing else, got to know the German culture.“
a change of school because of racist insults
“a Lot of people think that the racism of intent,” says Ramey. What is the effect of can also have unconscious behavior, experienced by the student as a child, when her family moved into a village.
At the new school she had been daily insulted, the teacher hardly intervened. “I had a permanent pain in the abdomen. The pediatrician advised my mother to send me back to my old school.“
“I don’t think the children have meant evil.”
As Ramey went every day by Bus to her old school. Looking back, she says: “I believe that the children have meant for evil. Some are educated, the children more open.“
In the village school she had been but probably the only child who haven’t looked traditionally German.
student scholarship in the 10. Class Rameys policy-interest
In the 10 woke. Class got Ramey, a student scholarship of the START Foundation, which supports young people with a migrant background. A trip to Berlin aroused then your policy interest.
And the Foundation gave her self-confidence: “I had a doubt whether I can do the a-levels, whether I could study.”
10 years later, the 26 is exam-Year-old shortly before her first state-and has big plans for the future: she wants to work according to the study of law in the area of human and peoples ‘ rights, preferably for an international organization like the United Nations.
racism-debate: Just a Trend?
Ramey is afraid that racism could go debate quickly again: “I have the feeling that a lot of participate in the discussion, but I’m afraid that this is just a Trend.”
With your Instagram action hopes Ramey, to draw attention on the topic. “As long as the company does not admit that racism prevails, there can be no open discussion,” she says. (lmc)
This article was written by Christine Ludewig
*The contribution “in Bonn, a student launches Instagram campaign: “Every German has seen published racism”” is of the Cologne Express. Contact with the executives here.
Cologne Express
