Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany, by Hans J. Massaquoi (1999)
After a whirlwind romance with the black Liberian son of a diplomat, the Bertha Baetz found herself pregnant, and in January 1926, gave birth to the author, Hans Massaquoi (Jan. 19, 1926 ~ Jan. 19, 2013). Although the diplomat’s son promised to marry Bertha, the wedding never took place. Instead, he went off to England to pursue his studies. Meanwhile, Bertha and Hans, were welcomed into the diplomat’s home. For the first 5 years of his life, Hans lived a life of wealth and privilege.
When the diplomat was called home, Bertha decided to remain in Hamburg, Germany with her son. Their standard of living dropped dramatically, as Bertha was forced to look for jobs. Around this time, the political climate was changing in Germany. Like so many German children, he was indoctrinated into Nazi propaganda and dreamed of joining the Hitler Youth, like many of his comrades.
Although his was often called names by neighborhood bullies, he was generally accepted by his peers. His teachers, however, were another story. Many of his teachers would single him out for his black skin. When his was denied entry into the Hitler Youth, he begged his mother to plead his case for him, arguing that he was “German just like everyone else.” His mother fiercely protected her young son. Throughout this memoir, the love he has for his mother is evident on nearly every page.
Through his teachers, he learns that his is “non-Aryan”, thus there is no place for him in Nazi Germany. As Nazi Germany begins its conquest of Austria, and the war begins, Hans and his mother experience the trauma of the war and their beloved city of Hamburg being bombed. Although Hans has been informed that after the Nazi are “done” with the Jews, he will be next. Despite this, the author makes only an off-handed reference to Jewish extermination or the concentration camps. I found this to be troubling. Perhaps, at the beginning of the war, he was too young to fully understand what was happening, and by the end of the war, he and his mother were simply trying to survive.
After the War, Hans hangs out among the docks of Hamburg and often passes himself of as an American GI. He has dreams of one day immigrating to the United States, where some of his mother’s relatives moved before the War broke out.
While still in his early 20’s, he made contact with his father, now an important businessman in Liberia. He felt that staying in Germany would be a dead-end for him, thought that moving to Liberia would lead him to a better life. His relationship with his father, however, quickly turned sour. After a few years in Liberia, his mother’s relatives eventually arranged for him to immigrate to the United States. In 1950, at age 26, he entered the United States. After being erroneously drafted into and serving in the Army, he earned a degree in journalism.
His mother was finally able to immigrate to the United States, where the two were reunited. Hans ultimately became a managing editor of Ebony magazine. As a post-script, Hans died in 2013 on his 87th birthday.
Read: April 3, 2021
4 Stars
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