Black Victims of the Holocaust Are Now Honored

New commemorative plaques are appearing in Berlin, Germany, immortalizing Black victims of the Holocaust and thus helping citizens too often overlooked to join in on the healing process.

“The Black victims of the Nazis have long not been considered — neither by academic research nor by memorial politics,” says Sophia Schmitz, a historian with the Berlin-based Stolpersteine project. “I hope these new memorials help to shed further light on the devastating impact that Nazi rule had on the lives of Germany’s Black residents,” adds Robbie Aitken, a historian at Sheffield Hallam University.

Artist Gunter Demnig launched the project Stolpersteine – meaning “stumbling stones” – in 2007 to recognize individual Holocaust victims. On each 10 cm by 10 cm plaque, the name, date of birth, date of the murder, and a short description of the treatment endured under the Nazi regime appear. And the plaque is placed in front of the last address the person voluntarily lived.  “If the stone is in front of your house, you’re confronted. To think about six million victims is abstract, but to think about a murdered family is concrete,” says the artist.