Claiming the Record: Black German Lives, Adoption, and the Work of Memory
BGHRA 2027
Tenth International Conference
February 18–20, 2027Rutgers University–Camden
Join us in person at Rutgers University–Camden, with virtual attendance and participation available for those joining from afar.
Travel, Hotels & DiningHotels, airport travel, maps, parking & places to eat.
The Special Collection at Paul Robeson Library
The 2027 conference celebrates the launch of A Special Collection on Black German and Adoption Studies at the Paul Robeson Library, Rutgers University–Camden—a lasting home for Black German histories, community knowledge, and future research.
Call for proposals → Due November 15, 2026 · Decisions December 15 · Guidelines & PDF
Join scholars, adoptees, artists, educators, students, and families for three days of scholarship, arts, film, and conversation about Black German lives, adoption, and public memory.
Keynote Speakers
Portraits: Malick Bauer © Pascal Bünning · Constance Jones Simmons: The Crafty Reporter · Azziza B. Malanda: DOMiDLabs
Malick Bauer
Malick Bauer is a German actor whose work moves between intimate character studies, contemporary theatre, and international screen storytelling. He became widely known as Samuel Meffire in Sam – A Saxon (Sam – Ein Sachse), the seven-part drama following a Black German man’s search for belonging through the upheavals of East Germany and reunification.
His BGHRA keynote is presented in partnership with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), bringing his experience as a performer into our conversations about representation, public memory, and the telling of Black German lives.
Grimme Prize · 2024
Bauer was honored for his performance in Sam – A Saxon. The jury singled out the complexity of his portrayal and the series’ perspective on racism, belonging, and self-determination. Read the award announcement and jury citation (German) →
From Bremen to the Berlin stage
Born in Bremen in 1991, Bauer first performed in Hamburg’s independent theatre scene before studying acting in Leipzig from 2015 to 2019. He worked at Neues Theater Halle, including as Driss in the stage adaptation of The Intouchables (Ziemlich beste Freunde), and went on to the Volksbühne Berlin. He joined the Berliner Ensemble for the 2021/22 season. His stage collaborations include directors Pınar Karabulut, Claudia Bauer, and Susanne Kennedy.
Berliner Ensemble profile (German) → · Selected filmography and theatre credits →
“good stories are universal.”
Malick Bauer, discussing Sam – A Saxon and wider opportunities for Black actors in his Casting Society interview (English, 2025).
▶ Earlier BGHRA keynotes & presentations
Watch Malick’s earlier contributions, preserved in the BGHRA Digital Archive →
▶ Watch & listen: trailers and interviews
Sam: A Saxon — English-dubbed trailer
An introduction to the series and Bauer’s central performance. Series information and viewing on Hulu.
FluxFM: the responsibility of playing Samuel Meffire
A 9-minute, 48-second audio interview with Bauer about the real person behind the role and his approach to the series. The page also includes interviews with director Soleen Yusef and fellow cast members. German · 2023.
NDR: Malick Bauer on DAS! Rote Sofa
Broadcaster’s page for his December 2025 television appearance, introducing his stage roots, screen work, and reflections on representation. German.
Casting Society: Actor of the Month
An English-language conversation about creative influences, casting, international ambitions, and the importance of roles that allow Black actors a full range of human experience. September 2025.
🎬 Selected screen work & the conference screening
Sam – A Saxon (2023)
Bauer’s breakthrough leading role follows Samuel Meffire’s rise, public visibility, and downfall, placing Black German experience at the center of a story about reunification. Hulu’s official series and cast page →
Wunderschöner & The Physician II / Der Medicus II
His film work includes Karoline Herfurth’s Wunderschöner and Philipp Stölzl’s The Physician II. In his Casting Society interview, Bauer describes the latter as his first English-language project. Agency filmography →
Tatort: Abstellgleis
Bauer plays Otto Pösken in the Dortmund crime drama. WDR’s character introduction (German) →
The Secret of the Stolen Mask
Bauer plays Marco Salzer in Nancy Mac Granaky-Quaye’s family adventure about a museum mask, colonial history, and a young girl’s investigation. The film is featured in our conference screening program. Official film website, trailer, gallery, and teaching materials (German) →
◈ Explore his theatre work
His stage credits include Die Hand ist ein einsamer Jäger, Mourning Becomes Electra, Germania, and ultraworld at the Volksbühne Berlin; Die Vielleichtsager at the Berliner Ensemble; and Good Sex with Dead Centre at Kampnagel Hamburg.
Browse productions and directors in his agency biography →
Read his Berliner Ensemble biography →
Read his publicity biography (German) →
Alice Hasters
Alice Hasters is a German author, journalist, and cultural critic whose work has helped shape public conversations about racism, identity, feminism, and belonging. Born in Cologne in 1989 and based in Berlin, she connects lived experience with close attention to institutions, language, and popular culture.
Her journalism includes work for Tagesschau, RBB, and Deutschlandfunk. She studied journalism in Munich and was named Cultural Journalist of the Year by medium magazin in 2020. In 2023, her Thomas Mann House fellowship explored dance, racialization, and resistance.
Everyday experience. Public questions.
Across books, broadcasting, and conversation, Hasters connects questions of power with the ways people live: who is heard, how identities are shaped, and what solidarity asks of us. Her work moves from everyday racism to collective self-examination and the political importance of vulnerability.
Anti Opfer: Warum wir Verletzlichkeit verachten
Ullstein · 2026 · German. Her latest book examines the suspicion directed toward people who experience injustice, the appeal of social hardness, and the possibilities of empathy and solidarity. The publisher’s page includes a reading sample.
Watch: Alice in public conversation
Never Gonna Give (You) Up – Warum wir immer weiter machen
re:publica · May 18, 2026 · German
Hasters joins Constanze Kurz, Luisa Neubauer, and Carolin Emcke, with moderator Isabella Hermann, to discuss solidarity, care, public responsibility, and sustaining collective action.
▶ Earlier BGHRA keynotes & presentations
Watch Alice’s earlier contributions, preserved in the BGHRA Digital Archive →
Three books, an evolving public conversation
Everyday racism: Her debut connects personal experience with the structures and assumptions that shape everyday German life.
Identity and change: Identitätskrise explores what happens when familiar stories about ourselves no longer hold, treating uncertainty as an opening for rethinking society.
Vulnerability and solidarity: Anti Opfer (2026), featured above, extends this inquiry to how societies respond to harm and the people who experience it.
Thomas Mann House: dance, racialization & resistance →
Author profile & current publication →
Watch & listen: journalism, interviews & Feuer & Brot
A voice across media: Her work has included Tagesschau and RBB journalism and hosting Einhundert – Storys mit Alice Hasters for Deutschlandfunk Nova. With Maxi Häcke, she has produced and presented Feuer & Brot since 2016, bringing feminism, politics, and pop culture into sustained conversation.
re:publica biography & media work →
rbbKultur: discussing Anti Opfer
A five-minute television feature about her 2026 book and the social climate it examines. German, with subtitles available.
radioeins: interview with Gesa Ufer
An audio conversation about vulnerability and the meaning of “victim.” German · May 2026.
Feuer & Brot — podcast and listening links
Find the podcast’s current platforms and episodes. German.
Constance Jones Simmons
Constance Jones Simmons is a German-born American broadcast journalist and NBC 6 South Florida morning anchor. Born in Stuttgart and raised partly overseas, including in Romania, she brings a transatlantic perspective to reporting on identity, community, and the stories that connect people across borders.
She joined NBC 6 in 2021 after anchoring in Richmond, Virginia. Her career includes nine years at Miami’s WPLG, work at WLRN public radio, and experience with Dan Rather at CBS Evening News. She has also worked in public-service communications for Florida’s 17th Judicial Circuit.
A two-time Emmy-nominated journalist, Jones received 2022 recognition from the Society of Professional Journalists and Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists for reporting on the Surfside condominium collapse. Sam Houston State University also honored her as its 2022 Outstanding Young Alumna. In 2026, she and colleagues Connie Fossi and Zahira Collazo earned first place for From Prison to Freedom in the Sunshine State Awards’ television Continuing Coverage or Series category. See the award listing →
Connecting German and American experiences
A returning BGHRA keynote speaker, Jones presented in 2025 on covering the NFL Germany Games in Frankfurt. As the daughter of a U.S. service member stationed in Germany, she connected the international sporting event with the cultural ties and family experiences behind it.
NBC 6 biography and reporting portfolio → · Her 2025 BGHRA presentation →
In the spotlight · Florida Sun
Photo: Constance Jones / privat
Breaking News und Brezeln
Daniela Boettcher’s German-language profile explores Constance’s Stuttgart roots, her life between Germany and the United States, and the familiar tastes that keep her connected to home.
July–September 2026 · Page 20 · German
▶ Earlier BGHRA keynotes & presentations
Watch Constance’s earlier contributions, preserved in the BGHRA Digital Archive →
Watch & read: community reporting
Helping young people leaving foster care
Jones reports on Casa Valentina’s work with young adults navigating education, independent living, and community support. The NBC 6 story includes video reporting. English · August 2026.
More reports by Constance Jones
Explore her coverage of South Florida’s communities, cultural life, and public concerns through her broadcaster’s portfolio. English.
Read: magazine features & interviews
Florida Sun — Breaking News und Brezeln (2026)
A portrait of her German-American experience, with a free digital issue linked above. German.
SHEEN — Inspiring, Empowering, Lead By Example (2022)
A conversation about the path into broadcasting, being a first-generation college student, and making room for community voices. English.
Miami Women Magazine — an extended Q&A
Constance discusses her early career, coverage of the George Floyd protests, her parents’ influence, German heritage, and life beyond the newsroom. English.
Jaestrete — The Majesty Issue cover (2025)
The publisher’s announcement includes her cover photograph, credited to Takia Rucker, and introduces the issue’s focus on resilience and authenticity. English.
Explore: career, education & perspective
In conversation: the perspective she brings to Miami mornings
Jones discusses how her mixed heritage, upbringing, and community involvement inform her journalism. English.
Sam Houston State University: alumni recognition
The university’s account of her Outstanding Young Alumna honor and professional path. English.
Azziza B. Malanda
Azziza B. Malanda is a historian whose research and public-history work connect Black German lives, colonial history, childhood, and the ways societies preserve memory. She brings the experiences of Black Germans who grew up in postwar institutional care into the historical record through testimony, archival research, and attention to everyday life.
She studied history, German studies, and African studies at the University of Cologne, as well as African Studies and Political Studies at SOAS in London, and completed her doctorate at the University of Hamburg.
Her work combines archival sources with interviews, tracing how people experienced racism and exclusion, built relationships, and developed strategies for survival within and beyond children’s and youth homes.
ÜberLebenswege
Erinnerungen und Erfahrungen Schwarzer Deutscher der Nachkriegsgeneration · Peter Lang, 2024 · Imagining Black Europe, volume 4. A study of Black German postwar lives and memories, centered on people who grew up in West German institutional care. German · free open-access PDF and ePUB available from the publisher.
Earlier research presentations
Transnational Adoptions of Black German Children to Denmark in the 1950s and 1960s
Listed in the Society for the History of Children and Youth’s 2025 conference program, in a panel chaired by Silke Hackenesch.
Read: research & the open-access book
Read or download ÜberLebenswege
The publisher provides the full open-access edition, publication details, and author biography.
Black German postwar histories through testimony
A bilingual introduction to Malanda’s research and a 2025 interactive reading, explaining how interviews and archival materials inform the work. English and German.
Explore: museums, oral history & public memory
DOMiDLabs: participatory museum work
Malanda worked on the DOMiDLabs team in press and public relations and deputy project management. The project brought community participants together to develop approaches for a migration museum. English.
Cologne Story Labs: oral history and biographical interviews
DOMiD’s 2026 project page describes her workshop on thoughtful questions, empathetic listening, and the respectful handling of personal narratives. English.
WERT/SCHÄTZEN: recognition in a migration society
Explore an exhibition developed through DOMiDLabs and its questions about whose experiences receive recognition. English.
Lena Whooo
Lena Whooo is an Afro-German actor, author, and activist working between Berlin and New York. Their practice connects performance, poetry, film curation, and community spaces, with particular attention to Black queer experiences, self-expression, and the right to shape one’s own story.
Lena trained at the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts and works in German and English. Their official portfolio brings together acting, writing, moderation, and activism. Returning after their 2026 BGHRA keynote, Lena brings these connected forms of creative work into our conversations about visibility and belonging.
A creative life across forms
From the screen to the page, the gallery, and the festival stage, Lena builds spaces for Black queer stories and artistic self-determination. Their work brings performance together with poetry, visual art, film curation, and community organizing.
un-fulfilled
Lyrik und Kurzgeschichten über Identität, die Freiheit und das Leben · novum, 2022. Lena’s bilingual debut brings poetry and short stories to questions of identity, freedom, and life.
Watch: Lena in their own words
I Was Told to Cut My Hair or Lose the Role
2026 · 11 minutes · IOA Documentary Films
Lena reflects on identity, creative agency, natural hair, and navigating Germany’s film and fashion industries, alongside the community work that helps artists shape their own opportunities.
Creating now: festivals, film & community
The Black Gaze · interfilm 2026
Lena and Yergalem Taffere co-curate the seven-film program The Black Gaze for interfilm Berlin’s November 10–15, 2026 festival. The selection brings together Black perspectives through animation, documentary, experimental work, and fiction, with screenings on November 12 and 14.
Explore the 2026 films & program →
Berlinale community work & DRUCK
AFRIKAMERA documents Lena’s co-founding of the media platform DRUCK in 2025 and their work with the BIPOC Alliance to organize its Berlinale community program and party. interfilm’s 2026 curatorial biography also recognizes this work creating space for BIPOC filmmakers.
DRUCK, the BIPOC Alliance & creative self-determination →
Meet the 2026 curators →
The Color of Strength · Pop-Kultur 2026
Lena is named among the contributors on the poster for Idris Aleshinloye’s documentary, screened at Pop-Kultur on August 29, 2026. Lena also moderated the festival conversation How Sports Can Change the World – Inclusion and Sports, connecting sport with visibility, belonging, and social participation.
Feminist Time Travel · 2026
For ProQuote Film’s April 2026 season opening, Lena curated and presented Homeshopper’s Paradise in cooperation with Schwarze Filmschaffende e.V. Their accompanying podcast conversation explores acting, community, and building opportunities in film.
Screening & curatorial context →
Listen: Ich baue mir meine eigenen Türen · April 2026 →
Producing poetry, visual art & live experiences
Lena’s publisher credits them with directing and producing audiovisual versions of poems from un-fulfilled. Their creative practice also includes sculptural skylines, paintings, readings, performance, and workshops.
Their official portfolio documents visual-art exhibitions in Berlin and New York and collaborative cultural projects. Hosting credits include TEDx Youth Munich, the Joy & Pain Conference, and Gems Next Door.
Poetry & audiovisual production credits →
Art, exhibitions & cultural projects →
Hosting & moderation portfolio →
Fashion & performance portfolio →
▶ Earlier BGHRA keynotes & presentations
Watch Lena’s earlier contributions, preserved in the BGHRA Digital Archive →
Watch: acting & selected screen work
Watch Lena’s acting showreel
A selection of clips introducing their range on camera.
Recent screen credits: Crew United lists Air up – Magic Makes No Sense Till You Try It (2026), the role of Nia in Stained Black (2025), and Juicy Vengaza in Mute Deaf Blind (2023–2024).
Current professional filmography →
Selected film and television: Rumspringa, Fisch Boom Bang, Reunion, Almost Fly, Bettman Begins, and Dengler – Kreuzberg Blues.
Official acting portfolio →
Professional profile and full filmography →
Explore: writing, workshops & film curation
Write to Heal
Lena describes their German- and English-language workshops in creative and autobiographical writing, reflection, and community connection. Participants choose whether to share their writing.
The Black Gaze — interfilm Berlin
The 2025 program, co-curated with Yergalem Taffere, foregrounds Black perspectives through documentary, animation, archival work, and other short-film forms. German.
AFRIKAMERA: representation and self-determination
A 2025 workshop linking creative journaling with questions of power, artistic resources, and authentic storytelling. The festival’s profile also describes Lena’s work with DRUCK and the BIPOC Alliance. English.
Publisher’s author profile and publications → · Official website →
CONFERENCE ARTWORK
Conference artwork by LelonDoa. Connections across generations to the ancestors.
Featured Films
Stories of cultural heritage, representation, and belonging on screen.
FILM – SPECIAL SCREENING: The Secret of the Stolen Mask
SPECIAL SCREENING!
The Secret of the Stolen Mask
Das Geheimnis der gestohlenen Maske
Directed by Nancy Mac Granaky-Quaye · Germany · 2026
German theatrical release: October 29, 2026
Featuring keynote speaker Malick Bauer as Marco Salzer, this family adventure brings colonial history, cultural heritage, and questions of belonging into a contemporary mystery. When eleven-year-old Johanna’s grandfather Kito visits from Tanzania, he recognizes a museum mask he believes was taken from his village during the colonial era. After the mask disappears and Kito falls under suspicion, Johanna and her friends Sweta and Anton set out to uncover the truth.
Join us at the conference for a special screening of the film. Screening time and further program details will follow.
Sam – A Saxon · Watch Before the Conference
Discover Malick Bauer’s portrayal of Samuel Meffire in the seven-part series Sam – A Saxon. This preview introduces the work of our FES partner speaker; it is available to watch ahead of the conference.
Watch on Hulu · English-dubbed version · Watch the English-dubbed trailer
Presentations & Workshops
Christine Stenner
Guest presenter · Attorney, Stenner Law
German Citizenship Presentation & Q&A
A 15–20-minute introduction to the basic concepts of German citizenship law, followed by general questions and hypothetical examples. The full session will last no more than one hour.
General legal information only. Individual eligibility assessments, personal document or application reviews, and advice about a specific case require a separate legal consultation.
Participation details will be available when conference registration opens.
Learning & Exchange
Special workshops for educators connect Black German history, culture, and community perspectives with classroom practice. Young learners will engage with artists, authors, and scholars.
Workshop descriptions and registration information are coming soon.
Conference Committee
Dr. Rosemarie PeñaFounder & PresidentRead biography →
Dr. Sonya DonaldsonMedia & ArchivesRead biography →
Dr. Emily Frazier-RathEducation InitiativesRead biography →
Elisabeth Clarke-HastersArts & CultureRead biography →
Dr. Keith Michael GreenEvents & PublicationsRead biography →
PD Dr. Silke HackeneschInternational RelationsRead biography →
Christine WebbConference Committee MemberRead biography →
Community. History. Connection.Black German Heritage & Research AssociationOur shared work →Conference Partners
With gratitude to our partners, whose collaboration helps bring Black German scholarship, culture, and community into conversation across generations and borders.
Rutgers University–Camden
Africana Studies at Rutgers–CamdenRutgers–Camden · World Languages and Cultures
Rutgers–New Brunswick · German, Russian, and East European Languages and LiteraturesRutgers–Camden · Department of Childhood Studies
Melitta
Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung
Stenner Law
South Jersey AATG (SJAATG)