When my mother was born in West Berlin in 1948, she was one of around 5000 so-called "brown babies": children of German mothers and Afro-American GI's stationed in Germany (and Austria) between 1945 and 1954.
These relationships were prohibited, the Army had a non-fraternization policy for all GI's at first, which was already abolished in 1946 as it wasn't very feasible. Afro-American GI's though, having fought in a segregated division for their country and still facing apartheid back in the US, could now move freely in Germany to their own surprise. They could now go to restaurants, dance in clubs etc. AND mingle with white women. Not surprisingly some relationships were formed while dancing and drinking.
But those "brown babies" posed a problem, for both the US-Army and Germany: over 90% of marriage applications were denied, most of the GI's faced measures like prison stays, were being sent away to Korea etc. to keep them away. As was my grandfather.
The German women were insulted, humiliated, some lost their jobs and worse: lost their children if they didn't have support from their families. Usually fathers had to pay child support, but US GI's were excempted as part of the occupation forces in post-war Germany. Non-married women were not allowed to legally care for their (illegitimate) children back then in Germany, thus legal guardians were named.
Both the US and Germany enhanced propaganda that those "brown babies" were better off in an Afro-American environment, and should thus be adopted as no one could know of their future. They only saw options for "the circus or in prostitution". Many women couldn't bear this kind of pressure, did not have any support and gave their children away for adoption.
Afro-Americans we're not allowed to adopt until then and Mabel Grammer, a woman who had followed her husband supported this initiative and "matched" these "brown babies" with families in the US. This became part of the black, civil movement. Sadly, not all of these stories have a happy ending.
Until I discovered this part of German-American history, I didn't realize how lucky my mother had been, having strong emotional support from her mother and grandmother and the challenges in racist, mysogynistic societies they had to face! I am very thankful for that and also how knowledge shapes and changes our perspectives.
I recommend the film by Regina Griffin about this topic, Zeitgeschichte: "Black GI children in Post-World War II Europe" and the novel "Stay away from Gretchen" by Susanne Abel.
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