Hans jürgen massaquoi wikipedia
Hans Massaquoi
Afro-German-American author noted for rule experiences as Black person scuttle Nazi Germany
Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi Sr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | ()January 19, Hamburg, Weimar Republic |
| Died | January 19, () (aged&#;87) Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation | |
| Language | German, English |
| Citizenship | |
| Notable work | Destined to Witness |
| Children | 2 |
Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi (January 19, – January 19, [1]) was a German-American newspaperwoman and author.
He was innate in Hamburg, Germany, to swell German mother and a African father of Vai ethnicity, rank grandson of Momulu Massaquoi, ethics consul general of Liberia make happen Germany at the time.
His autobiography Destined to Witness: Ontogenesis up Black in Nazi Germany was published in (in English).
Its German translation was publicised the same year, as Neger, Neger, Schornsteinfeger: Meine Kindheit unsubtle Deutschland. The title references tidy racist rhyme with which schoolboys taunted him in The Teutonic version was adapted as topping film Destined to Witness&#;[de] ().[2] He later published a above autobiography, only in German: Hänschen klein, ging allein: Mein Weg in die Neue Welt ().
Childhood in Germany
In his diary, Destined to Witness, Massaquoi describes his childhood and youth leisure pursuit Hamburg during the Nazis' watercourse to power. His autobiography provides a unique point of view: he was one of honourableness very few German-born children recall German and African descent.
Unquestionable was often shunned, but truant Nazi persecution. This duality remained a key theme throughout rulership early life until he attestanted racism as practiced in citizens Africa and later in justness Jim CrowAmerican South.
Massaquoi enjoyed a relatively happy childhood set about his mother, Bertha Baetz, who had arrived in Hamburg suffer the loss of Nordhausen and earlier from Ungfrungen.
His father, Al-Haj Massaquoi, was a prince of the Vai people who was in Port studying law and only scarcely ever lived with the family miniature the consul general's home subtract Hamburg. Eventually, his grandfather Momulu, the first African posted hither the diplomatic corps in Aggregation, was recalled to Liberia. Hans Massaquoi and his mother remained in Germany.
Massaquoi was groan aware of any other heterogeneous race children in Hamburg, mount like most German children her majesty age he was lured exceed Nazi propaganda into thinking wind joining the Hitler Youth was an exciting adventure of fanfares and games.[3] There was spick school contest to see conj admitting a class could get out % membership of the Deutsches Jungvolk, a subdivision of Oppressor Youth, and Massaquoi's teacher devised a chart on the chalkboard showing who had joined have a word with who had not.
The arrange was filled in after tell off boy joined, until Massaquoi was pointedly the sole student left-wing out. He recalled saying, "But I am German my glaze says I'm German just love anybody else."[3] His later have a crack to join his friends unused registering at the nearest Jungvolk office was also met form a junction with contempt.
The denial of that rite of passage reinforced rule perception that he was proforma ostracized because he was estimated "Non-Aryan" despite his German family and mostly traditional German training.
After the Nuremberg Laws were passed in , Massaquoi was officially classified as non-Aryan promote barred from pursuing a pathway of education leading to fastidious professional career.
Instead he was forced to embark on hoaxer apprenticeship as a laborer. First-class few months before he undivided school, Massaquoi was required result go to a government-run profession center, where his assigned vocational counselor was Herr von Vett, a member of the Make a claim to. Upon seeing the "telltale smoky SS insignia of dual dust devil bolts in the lapel cherished his civilian suit",[4] Massaquoi hair shirt humiliation.
Instead, he was astonished when he was greeted zone "a friendly wink", offered a- seat and asked to intercede something he had made. Stern showing Von Vett an throw away and discussing his experience mode of operation for a local blacksmith, Massaquoi was informed that he could "be of great service attack Germany one day" because encircling would be a great claim for technically trained Germans be go to Africa to instruct and develop an African move when Germany reclaimed its Somebody colonies.[5] Before Massaquoi left nobleness interview, Von Vett invited him to shake his hand, want unusual move not in holding with the behavior of badger Nazi officials Massaquoi had encountered outside of his neighborhood.[6]
Though blooper was barred from dating "Aryans", Massaquoi courted a white wench.
They had to keep their relationship a secret, especially makeover her father was a colleague of the police and authority SS. Such relationships were frowned on and classified as Rassenschande (race defilement) under the Nuremberg Order. They met only in rank evenings, when they would insert for walks. As he forsaken his girlfriend off at stifle house one night, he was stopped by a member business the SD, the intelligence organ of flight of the SS.
He was taken to the police spot as he was believed communication be "on the prowl ration defenseless women or looking guard an opportunity to steal".[7] On the other hand, he was recognized by a-ok police officer as living extort the area and working: "This young man is an beginner at Lindner A.G., where closure works much too hard give explanation have enough energy left be determined prowl the streets at casual looking for trouble.
I transpire to know that because pan the son of one adherent my colleagues apprentices with him."[7] The SD officer closed righteousness case and gave the Totalitarian salute, and Massaquoi was licit to leave the station.[7]
Increasingly renovation he matured, Massaquoi came tinge despise Hitler and Nazism.
Empress skin color made him straighten up target for racist abuse, soil was often targeted by Arbitrary employers, he was denied extraction and subsequently excluded from ration in the armed forces, untold to his frustration. This by-fact of the Nuremberg laws, which were expanded in November health check cover Afro-Germans, may however possess saved him due from excellence devastating casualties, especially on illustriousness Eastern Front.
During the time following the Allies' near-destruction defer to Hamburg, he befriended the brotherhood of Ralph Giordano, a half-Jewish acquaintance of the surreptitious ruffle devotees known as the Fresh Kids. The Giordanos, who managed to survive the war load hiding, helped Massaquoi and crown mother to secure a neighbouring basement after their Hamburg area was destroyed.
Giordano, a ultimate friend, became a renowned newspaperwoman as well.
Emigration
In Massaquoi's paterfamilias, Al-Haj, secured his passage contemplate residency in Liberia. Massaquoi was fascinated and chagrined by Continent. While appreciative that his pa made possible his escape running away post-World War II Germany, explicit eventually grew estranged from coronet father, whom he considered assuming and somewhat tyrannical.
However, description two reconciled just before tiara father's death which preceded Massaquoi's reconnecting with his maternal descent in the United States.
Massaquoi emigrated to the United States in He served two period in the army as shipshape and bristol fashion paratrooper in the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division and fought arbitrate the Korean War.
He closest became a naturalized U.S. voter. His GI bill helped subsidize countersign his journalism degree from description University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and he worked on rule masters at Northwestern University undetermined the impending birth of government first son catapulted into monarch career at Jet magazine weather then Ebony magazine, where fiasco became managing editor.
His clothing allowed him to interview visit historical figures of the terrace, politics and civil rights motion in America and Africa. Elegance was interviewed in turn harsh Studs Terkel for his voiced historyThe Good War, and affiliated his unique experiences in Deutschland under the Nazi government.
Beginning in , Massaquoi visited consanguinity and friends in Germany numberless times, always cognizant of Germany's complex history as the society of his childhood.
Personal life
Massaquoi died on January 19, , his 87th birthday. At ethics time of his death, Massaquoi was married to Katharine Rousseve Massaquoi.
He had two choice by a previous marriage, Steve and Hans Jr., who further survived him.[8]
References
- ^"Hans Massaquoi, Former Collector Of Ebony Magazine, Who Grew Up Black In Nazi Frg Dies". Archived from the recent on Retrieved
- ^Mieder, Wolfgang.
“BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL” Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi’s Famous Autobiography Destined to Witness. Proverbium , vol.
- ^ abMassaquoi, About J: Destined to Witness, let Fusion Press,
- ^Massaquoi, H J: Destined to Witness, page Merger Press,
- ^Massaquoi, H J: Forthcoming to Witness, page Fusion Shove,
- ^Massaquoi, H J: Destined relax Witness, page Fusion Press,
- ^ abcMassaquoi, H J: Destined assume Witness, page Fusion Press,
- ^Hans Massaquoi family
Relevant literature
- Lindhout, Alexandra Line.
"Hans J. Massaquoi’s "Destined house Witness" as an Autobiographical Settlement of Identity Formation. Current Welfare of Postgraduate American Studies 7 (). open access
- Martin, Elaine. “Hans J. Massaquoi: Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Socialism Germany.” Colloquia Germanica, vol.
34, , pp.
- Massaquoi, Hans-Jürgen. “A Journey into the Past. Ability I and II.” Ebony (February), , pp. , and (March), , pp
- Massaquoi, Hans-Jürgen.“Hans Massaquoi [autobiographical sketch].” In “The Good War”: An Oral History of Existence War Two, edited by Studs Terkel, New York: Pantheon Books, , pp.
- Mehring, Frank.
“‘Bigger in Nazi Germany’: Transcultural Confrontations of Richard Wright and Hans Jürgen Massaquoi.” The Black Scholar vol. 39, , pp.
- Mehring, Frank. “Afro-German-American Dissent: Hans Particularize. Massaquoi.” The Democratic Gap: Transcultural Confrontations of German Immigrants refuse the Promise of American Democracy, edited by Frank Mehring, Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter, , pp.
- Nganang, Patrice. “Autobiographies of Blackness cloudless Germany.” Germany’s Colonial Pasts. System. Eric Ames, Marcia Klotz, playing field Lora Wildenthal. Lincoln, Nebraska: School of Nebraska Press, , pp.
- Walden, Sara. Die Analyse stay poised Sozialisation von Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi phony Hand von ausgewählten Aspekten.
München: Grin Verlag,