Mixed-race children in post-World War II Germany

Mixed-race children in post-World War II Germany
Mixed-race children in post-World War II Germany

Mixed-race children in post-World War II Germany

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During post-World War II Allied occupation in Germany, between 3,000 and 5,000 “brown babies” (called mischlingskinder in German) were born between African-American troops and white German women. Although these children represented a small fraction of the over 95,000 children born between Allied troops and German civilians, they set the tone for racial discourse in Germany and the United States. An award-winning documentary entitled “Brown Babies: The Mischlingskinder Story” takes a look at the journeys of a handful of “brown babies” that were adopted by families in the United States. Dr. Heide Fehrenbach, history professor at Northern Illinois University and consultant on the documentary, explains how these children became a source of public debate. (Photo: Jet Magazine Archives).