The #Afrozensus or “afro census” initiative was created to showcase black people in Germany and Afro Germans. Black people are the most visible minority in Germany but they end up being the ones who experience racism the most or to the greatest extent, and all this goes without notice.
The Afro census wants to change that narrative by giving black people the platform to share their experiences.
The aim of this initiative is to obtain as comprehensive a picture as possible of the experiences of people of African decent in Germany (afro germans). How do they assess their lives and what do they expect from politics and society?
The results of this survey will be made public and available to communities and policy makers. This is in the hopes that a demographic group in Germany which is severely affected by intersectional discrimination can finally attain the public visibility that is needed for a better representation of their interests.
A general sighting of black people in Germany’s capital is not rare, but what is rare is black people working in client-facing roles i.e. occupations that allow them to engage directly with the public. The roles of back people in most societies tend to be invisible.
Most jobs taken up by black people would be low level jobs that are looked down upon or not necessarily luxurious.
Poliana Baumgarten, a German Afro-Brazilian filmmaker whose work deals with racism and discrimination said black people tend to be overrepresented in menial jobs and this does tend to stem from structural and institutional racism “It just shows there’s not even a chance for black women to get jobs where they would experience some form of dignity,” she adds.
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Racial discrimination has been rising in Germany. The absolute numbers of reported racist incidents have increased, and they are growing faster than other forms of discrimination, according to the country’s Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency. There were nearly 20% more racist attacks in 2018 than in 2017, based on official crime statistics.
However, the data that would allow the anti-discrimination agency to see just how racism affects specific groups of people is missing. Germany doesn’t collect information on race and ethnicity.
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The online survey’s results are hoped to bore concrete measures that can be proposed to reduce racial discrimination and to protects and promote people of African descent in Germany.
The #AFROZENSUS online survey will start in May/June 2020! To participate register with your email to the website.
Here’s a link: https://afrozensus.de/?lang=en