After the end of World War II, European nations promoted European unification as a “peace project.” What remained largely ignored was the obligation resulting from the colonial past of countries like Germany, France, and Great Britain. What kind of solidarity can be expected from the descendants of the colonizers – and those who were colonized? With its legacy of slavery, similar questions came to the forefront in the context of Black Lives Matter: Is there an obligation for white majority society to show solidarity to the descendants of enslaved people?

On November 22, at the Goethe-Institut Washington, Dr. Emily Marker and Dr. Monica van der Haagen-Wulff discussed the significance of historical injustices today – and how this plays out in the complex political environment we live in. The conversation was moderated by Dr. Steven E. Sokol, President and CEO of the American Council on Germany.