Filmmaker Mo Asumang, the biracial daughter of a black Ghanaian father and a white German mother,?shared with BBC News?her?experiences making a?new documentary, The Aryans, in which she confronts racists — both neo-Nazis in Germany and a Klansman with the Ku Klux Klan in the U.S.
The Aryans told her repeatedly to “go back to Africa.” One person put a penny at her feet and said “have a nice flight back home.”
When asked what they wanted to do with people like Asumang who aren’t purely white, one man responded:
“The prognosis is that when a nation re-nationalizes, people like you tend to immigrate to multi-ethnic countries or melting pots like the USA.”
When Asumang came to the U.S. to talk with members of the Ku Klux Klan, she was stunned when a Klansman?told her:
“I’m not a racist. Nobody is a racist that is in the Klan.”
When she?pointed out the obvious (his KLAN ROBE!), the Klansman informed her that “this is for ceremonial purposes.”
Oh.
One gentleman told her that race mixing is the REAL problem. He has the idea that biracial children spell trouble. When Asumang points out that she is biracial, he tried to explain to her what a “real black person” looks like, and added this gem:
“Hybrids do pretty well in the first generation but from then on they don’t.”
Umm….OK. There is zero evidence to support that. When Asumang said goodbye to him, he offered her a hug and commented, laughing.
“That’s interracial. I hope nobody sees a picture of that. I’ll be through.”
Asumang has a theory about her interactions with profound racists like the Aryans and the Klansman.
“I smile at them and it’s a human reaction. You want to smile back. I see them trying to hold down?the smile and that’s something very, very? interesting.”
She has a much more benevolent view towards these clowns than I have.
Asumang?even befriended a German neo-Nazi who was considering leaving the movement. She showed him a photo of her grandmother, who was in the?SS. She has remained friends with the young man and says simply “Even now we are friends, and I do like him.”
Interestingly the racists in Germany were much far more rude to her than were the U.S. Klansman.
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Tiffany Willis is the founder and editor-in-chief of Liberal America. An unapologetic member of the Christian Left, she has spent most of her career actively working with ?the least of these? and disadvantaged and oppressed populations. She’s passionate about their struggles. To stay on top of topics she discusses,?like her?Facebook page,?follow her on Twitter, or?connect with her via LinkedIn. She also has?a?grossly neglected personal blog?and a?literary quotes blog that is a labor of love. Find her somewhere and join the discussion.
