Nationwide · Advocacy, history & community
The Initiative Schwarze Menschen in Deutschland (ISD) is a nationwide network by and for Black people. Established in 1985, it brings together community organizing, political education, empowerment, and advocacy against institutional and structural racism.
ISD’s work connects Black history with contemporary struggles for participation and recognition. Its projects include Black History Month, community gatherings, and initiatives addressing Germany’s colonial past. For readers exploring Black German histories, ISD offers an important connection between scholarship, public memory, and community action.
Local chapters: Hamburg, Köln & beyond
ISD’s national chapter directory includes Hamburg, Köln, Berlin, Bremen, Frankfurt, Hannover, Kassel, Leipzig, Marburg, München, Nürnberg, Stuttgart, and Thüringen. Use the official local-group directory to find the Hamburg and Köln groups and their current contact information.
Founding organizers and the beginnings of ISD
ISD emerged through collective organizing in 1985–1986, initially under the name Initiative Schwarze Deutsche. A historical account published by the National Women’s Studies Association identifies Christiana Ampedu, Helga Emde, and Eleonore Wiedenroth-Coulibaly as organizers of the first nationwide gathering in Wiesbaden in 1985.
The ISD history by Eleonore Wiedenroth-Coulibaly and Hadija Haruna-Oelker names May Ayim and Katharina Oguntoye as cofounders. Abenaa Adomako is also documented as a cofounder in Berlin’s public cultural programming. John A. Kantara is identified as a Berlin cofounder on his documentary website; Jeannine Kantara is identified as an ISD and afro look cofounder in the contributor biography in We Want Them Back (p. 6).
These are documented founders and early organizers, rather than a complete founding roster. Local initiatives developed in several cities; their beginnings should be distinguished from the establishment of the national umbrella association, ISD Bund e.V., in 2001. ISD’s own account dates the movement’s beginnings to 1985.
Black feminist organizing and shared movement histories
ISD’s emergence belongs alongside the history of ADEFRA and the 1986 publication of Farbe bekennen: Afro-deutsche Frauen auf den Spuren ihrer Geschichte, edited by May Ayim, Katharina Oguntoye, and Dagmar Schultz. These histories show how personal testimony, historical research, cultural work, and organizing helped people name their experiences and build community. Read the wider context in Black self-organization: ISD and ADEFRA.
Explore & connect
Image: ISD. Logo or project image belongs to its respective organization.
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