Moving from Racism to Anti-Racism in Germany and the US
Monday, April 26, 2021
12-1:30pm Eastern Time (US) / 6-7:30pm German time
Zoom Webinar
You can watch a recording of the complete event by clicking the button above.
About the Event
The webinar traces the effects of racism by reflecting on the speaker's personal experiences of racism in Germany and the US, which led to the production of Schwarz Rot Gold ("Black Red Gold").
Participants are encouraged to watch the project trailer of Schwarz Rot Gold as well as Theodor Wonja Michael's portrait on which the webinar will be based.
A brief introduction to academic research on the effects of racism on educational opportunities and health will highlight the importance of media representation of Black people in Germany and the US, while discussing the differences between the two countries on the subject. The webinar will give an insight into grassroots activism for People of Color and White people and look at different projects like Schwarz Rot Gold, Black Lives Matter, Critical Whiteness initiatives as well as ways to decolonize institutions.
About the Speakers
Journalist and filmmaker Jermain Raffington focuses on the documentation of individual people’s lives, linking them to societal constructs at large.
Leading a previous life as a professional basketball player, informed a keen vision of what it takes to discover truly unique human stories. As a VICE Sports staff writer-turned producer, Jermain’s work included hosting and directing iconic sports documentaries for the VICE international channels, as well as branded content pieces, documentary projects, and live events.
Passionate about his own independently produced storytelling ventures, Jermain and Laurels project, Schwarz Rot Gold received funding from Berlin Brandenburg´s prestigious Medienboard as well as additional funding through multiple private investors.
Jermain is a media savvy, multi-hyphenate, German-English bilingual who never shies away from new challenges, merging his passion for people and storytelling.
© Kulturprojekte Berlin und Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin, Photo: Alexander Rentsch
Dr. Laurel Raffington is an award-winning developmental psychologist studying the effects of social inequality, such as income inequality and racism, on child and adolescent development. She has studied and worked in the UK, Germany, and the US and is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychology and Population Research Center.
Over the past 7 years, Laurel has been actively unlearning racism by engaging in an array of racism sensitivity trainings and Critical Whiteness organisations, and studying Black feminist literature.
Laurel is passionate about decolonizing German academia, moving inclusion efforts beyond White feminism, and removing social barriers for children of Color.