First Black German Convention in Washington, DC (August 19 to 21 2011)

The Black German Cultural Society, Inc. announces its First Annual Convention to be held from August 19 to 21, 2011, at the German Historical Institute (GHI) in Washington, DC (USA).

With the theme of “Strengthening Transatlantic Connections,” the convention will host guests and presenters from the international community in Germany and the United States.

The keynote speaker will be Noah Sow, the acclaimed journalist, musician, producer and author of “Deutschland Schwarz Weiß” (C. Bertelsmann, 2008), who will speak about “Geteilte Geschichte: The Black Experience in Germany and the US.”

The convention will also feature a photo exhibit on "The Civil Rights Struggle, African American GIs, and Germany."

Furthermore, the meeting will offer workshops, round tables, as well as panel discussions on Afro-German history, culture and literature facilitated by the board members, partner organizations, and distinguished academics in the field.

Confirmed participants include, among others:

* Vera Grant (W.E.B. Du Bois Institute, Harvard University)
* S. Marina Jones (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)
* Maria Hoehn (Vassar College)
* Leroy Hopkins (Millersville University)
* Martin Klimke (GHI Washington)
* Priscilla Layne (University of California, Berkeley)
* Yara-Colette Lemke Muniz de Faria (Berlin)
* Sara Lennox (University of Massachusetts, Amherst)


Topics will include “Race and Ethnicity in Postwar Germany,” “Transatlantic Adoption and ‘Brown Babies’,” “Finding and Reuniting Birth Families,” “Black German Jewishness” as well as “Sharing our Stories,” among others.

For more information go to www.blackgermans.us/convention2011