The West German public, it was argued, regarded these children with such hostility that the children, if they remained in Germany, would face an unhappy future. Should they remain in Germany, they would have to struggle with discrimination and prejudice on a daily basis. Regardless of which of these two arguments were emphasized, their impact was effectively the same: both state youth welfare bureaus and sectarian associations were convinced of the necessity to act in the best interests of Afro-German children. For their own protection, Afro-German children were seen to be best cared for “among their own kind”—in Africa, South America, or the United States. Curiously, the wishes of the mothers of these children were completely ignored by youth welfare officials and politicians in this debate.

“GERMANY’S ‘BROWN BABIES’ MUST BE HELPED! WILL YOU?” U.S. Adoption Plans for Afro-German Children, 1950–1955

Yara-Colette Lemke Muniz de Faria

(Source: beautone)