Daniela Krebs

 

Looking at these photos reminds me of my childhood and the racism that surrounded it. By carefully developing these delicate old negatives, I can revisit all the different moments of the past and relive those long-lost memories once more. It is a strange feeling to stand in the middle of a dark room with the negatives of the past. As reals of different pictures run through the projector, distinctive images run through my own mind.

In particular was one summer’s day at the funfair when I was 12 years old. I will never forget that day. I went there with my family on a nice sunny day. We rarely did these kinds of trips, so it was a significantly memorable day for me. My dad always wanted the best for me and my siblings. He did not care about people working as long as they did their jobs. He had no sympathy for the black workers at the funfair, which at the time felt like the norm for the average white American. Looking back as an adult, this divide was very explicit, as all the workers were black, but their bosses were white. The ride on the merry-go-round cost 10 cents in those days and for that money people expected special requirements like holding their bags or helping them on to the ride, which all took place without any politeness.

Even the swinging-chairs were operated by black workers and all guests watching their children or waiting for a ride were white. The blacks were treated like slaves whilst the whites boasted about their wealth.

As a child, I did not recognize this discrimination as clearly as I do now.

I thought people were happy, but nowadays, looking at these photographs and understanding the history, I can sense that the black people were suppressed. An overwhelming feeling of anger and shame comes over me. Are not all humans equal? How can humans be that cruel to one another?

It is like a horror film watching these photos. In their eyes, the black workers are nothing more than low lives! They hardly had any hope for a better life. From one perspective, people go to a funfair, enjoying life and having a good time with their families like I did, but on the other, people are working till the rest of their life without getting any respect or any word of politeness.

For me, these photos have a significant purpose. They show the uncompromising truth of the past; a past one cannot change, but can learn from.