I Never Made it to the Park That Day…
A stroll along a Hamburg street
This summer, I spent a month in my favorite city, Hamburg. I am no stranger to Hamburg, having been there numerous times over the last eight years or so. I typically look forward to my visits, as it's really a place that allows me to think, reflect, and regroup for my uneasy existence in the U.S. No secret, Hamburg is my Fortress of Solitude.
I am by no means unaware, either, of Germany's storied history. Indeed, for most of the people I know, a mention of Germany elicits the following (Nazis, Holocaust, Wurst, Lederhosen and BMWs)–not necessarily in that order, but pretty darn close. Since 1999, I have been researching Germany's other history, particularly that of Afro-Germans. I am also interested in the concepts of identity and citizenship in Germany, issues of belonging and Germanness. It's the immigrant in me, I guess. Books like Hans Massaquoi's Destined to Witness, Ika Hugel-Marshall's Invisible Woman, and Farbe bekennen have had a significant impact on my views on German identity.
This summer, I made a promise to myself to take photographs every day while in Hamburg; on one particular day, I headed out at a pretty peppy pace to take photos of some lovely pink roses I had seen the day before in a nearby park. Hidden inside a secret garden that backed onto a few large apartment houses and behind the U1 and U3 lines at Kellinghusenstrasse, you truly have to be an Eppendorfer to know it exists.
On my way to the park, taking the route along Eppendorfer Landstrasse, I stubbed my toe on a small bronze plate cemented in the sidewalk (pictured above). As women pushed strollers along the avenue, and a few people strolled by, I bent down to take a closer look. I read the names.
I felt the air stand still around me. My stomach muscles tensed. Even as I snapped the image above, I felt as if I were violating something, someone, again. The plaques are located throughout Hamburg, in front of apartment houses. The former residents' fates you can read above.
I never made it to the park that day.
