WASHINGTON—The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, today announced the following film screening and discussion:
“AND WE WERE GERMANS”
BLACK HISTORY MONTH FILM SCREENING
WITH DIRECTOR JOHN A. KANTARA
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Cannon House Office Building
Room 121
Live Webcast (discussion only): www.facebook.com/HelsinkiCommission
To celebrate Black History Month, the Helsinki Commission will screen “And We Were Germans: The Life of Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi and Ralph Giordano.” The 30-minute film chronicles the journey of Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi, an Afro-German survivor of the Holocaust who emigrated to the United States and became the editor of Ebony magazine, one of the first monthly publications for African-Americans.
The film connects the experience of Afro-German and Jewish-German survivors of the Holocaust by recounting Massaquoi’s experience in Germany, including his relationship with Ralph Giordano, a lifelong Jewish friend.
The film will be followed by a conversation with director John A. Kantara about the film and current situation of people of African descent in Germany and across Europe.
