A Conversation with Katharina Oguntoye
A series of virtual events from Widen the Circle and the Leo Baeck Institute
This year's Obermayer Awards ceremony was amazing, and we'd like to introduce you to some of the inspiring award winners. Please join us for our online spring series, Conversations with the Winners, as we chat with winners of the 2024 Obermayer Awards. Learn more about the work, perspectives, and personal motivations of these inspiring people.
Obermayer Award winner Katharina Ogunotye, Germany’s foremost voice on Afro-German history and identity, began her groundbreaking work in the 1980s when she coauthored “Showing Our Colors: Afro-German Women Speak Out.” The book addresses questions like: What does it mean to be Black in Germany? Were there Black victims of the Nazis? What forms does racism take today?
As an Afro-German historian, author, and community leader, she has turned her own experience of being othered into powerful lessons about identity, pride, and mutual respect. She broke down barriers of awareness and shined a light on Afro-German history, empowering Afro-Germans to share their own stories. She also founded the intercultural association Joliba, which serves families from many cultural backgrounds.
Katharina discusses her work and vision with Joel Obermayer, executive director of Widen the Circle. Introduction by Miriam Bistrovic of the Leo Baecke Institute, which cosponsored the event.
Future Events
Anneke de Rudder
April 4, at 1pm EDT
A provenance researcher and historian, Anneke researches objects looted by the Nazis, finding and contacting the rightful owners or their heirs. Many descendants have come to Germany, and she has introduced them to their ancestors’ hometowns. While the objects themselves often have little value, they bring the priceless gift of reuniting families and uncovering family history.
Christoph Mauny
April 18, at 1 pm EDT
Christoph has brought a living culture of remembrance to his community, which is located in an area where the extreme right is especially active. His creative and inspiring projects have included a unique 360-degree video installation at the site of the a former synagogue, now a shopping mall, and an ambitious digital “unfinished memorial” to 20,000 forced laborers at the Ohrdruf concentration camp. It features biographies, sketches, and more. Camp Ohrdruf, largely forgotten by locals, was the first camp liberated by the U.S. Army and was visited by General Eisenhower.