I have been reading a very thoughtful book, “Learning
from the Germans: Race and the Memory of Evil” by Susan Neiman. Neiman reflects
on how Germans have sought to atone for the evil acts of their past and she contrasts
that with how the United States has dealt with the racist evil of our own
history. It was a fascinating read in light of the arguments about confederate
symbols and monuments that are occurring in the United States right now. In
Germany, there are no state-sanctioned symbols or monuments honoring the Nazis.
This was a conscious decision: why would the perpetrators of one of the most
heinous crimes against humanity be remembered and revered in public places?
In fact, in many cities across Europe, there are
memorials to the victims of the holocaust, as a way to honor those who were
tortured and murdered and to never forget the atrocities. In 1992, artist
Gunter Demnig began a project that has become the largest decentralized
memorial in the world: the Stoplerstiene, or, the Stumbling Stone project. These
stumbling stones are small square metal plaques, placed in the last place a
Nazi victim voluntarily lived or worked. The stones list the person’s name, dates
of birth, deportation, and death, if known. At the end of 2019, more than
75,000 stones had been laid. And it is not only Jews who are remembered: ALL
the victims of Nazi persecution are remembered: people of different ethnicities
and nationalities, LGBT persons, people with disabilities, and religious and
political resisters.
The
stones have not been without controversy: some people argue that there is
nothing that honors the memory of a holocaust victim by stepping over their
nameplate. But as one of the artist’s assistant’s said, “I can’t think of a better form of remembrance. If you
want to read the stone, you must bow before the victim.”
I wonder what we in the
United States can learn from this? We are still arguing about the place of
Robert E. Lee and confederate monuments and commemorative places. Why do we
honor those who sought to break apart the Union because of their belief that it
was okay to own another human being? How does this continue to embed racism in
our nation’s soul?
What if we had plaques in communities, commemorating those who suffered under slavery? What if we had stumbling stones in places with black and brown skinned people were murdered? What if every community across the Mountain Sky Conference did the same research communities in German are doing:
“Stolpersteine remain a grassroots initiative. Local groups – often
residents of a particular street, or schoolchildren working on a project – come
together to research the biographies of local victims, and to raise the €120 it
costs to install each stone.” (https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/feb/18/stumbling-stones-a-different-vision-of-holocaust-remembrance)
Imagine our churches
doing this research, discovering a hidden history of racism and oppression and
atoning by marking the place where a person of color was wrongfully treated,
dehumanized, or murdered. How would it change how we walk down those streets?
How would it change how we look at people who don’t look like us? How would it
change the world for everyone?
