MLK in Berlin

Already an internationally famous figure by 1964, King visited West Berlin on the invitation of Social Democratic leader Willy Brandt. He  attended a memorial service for John F. Kennedy and spoke before a crowd of 20,000 where he called the newly constructed Berlin Wall “a symbol of the divisions of mankind on the face of the Earth.”

The same day King visited Western Germany, a man named Michael Meyer attempted an unauthorized escape from the Eastern side. He made it to the Western side of the city but was shot by East German guards soon after crossing, sustaining serious injuries. After his speech, King requested to visit the spot where Meyer was shot.

King also received an invitation from East German pastor Heinrich GrĂĽber to deliver an address at a church in East Berlin. Though his State Department detail withheld his passport due to concerns that this trip to Soviet territory would spark an international incident, King crossed anyway using an American Express card as identification.

King only remained in East Berlin for a few hours that night. Responding to concerns raised by church organizers of a possible state crackdown as a result of the large crowds King tended to draw, he delivered the same speech in two separate venues. 

“We are all God’s children, and no man-made barrier can obliterate that fact,” King said in reference to the division of Berlin. 

Class Presentations

During the week of February 19, 2020, each German class will spend 15 to 20 minutes discussing King’s visit during this week. Professor and Ph.D. candidate Andrea Bryant have prepared a presentation that contains details from King’s speeches, articles and multimedia materials available to all German professors and their students. 

Bryant, whose research focuses on diverse perspectives in German, enjoyed bringing a rich variety of materials on King’s visit to Georgetown.

“You could probably do an entire semester on this visit,” Bryant said. “There’s art and literature on this in German, it’s been performed on stage.”

This part of the history of the Berlin Wall is often forgotten, but these materials provide students with a unique lens to examine an important section of Germany’s past. 

“Everyone teaches about the Berlin Wall. This isn’t in it.” Weigert said.

Professors will use their own discretion on which materials to utilize based on the course level they’re teaching, and the presentations all offer additional resources for students looking to learn more. Bryant expects it will be a valuable learning opportunity for students at all levels each year. 

“We have some documents in English and some in German, so depending on the level and instructor, there are options on how to teach it,” Weigert said. “But the main thing is that there’s a commitment from the entire department. This is our contribution.”

A Unique Contribution

Weigert is excited that the German department has found a special way to participate in Georgetown’s MLK Initiative, a cross-campus celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“I was always intrigued by the annual university-wide “Teach-the-Speech” initiative, but couldn’t quite figure out how we, in the Department of German, could contribute. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remembered reading that Dr. King had spent time in Germany,” Weigert said. “I looked it up, and it turned out that he had indeed visited both East and West Berlin shortly after the Berlin Wall  had been built. Teaching about this visit, then, became our unique angle to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”  

Students reacted very positively to the initial “Teach-the-Visit” class component last year. Plans are to repeat the “Teach-the-Visit” class project each year in February for the foreseeable future. 

In addition, the Department plans to share the multimedia presentation compiled on Dr. King’s visit to Berlin with colleagues at other universities.

MLK IN BERLIN

Already an internationally famous figure by 1964, King visited West Berlin on the invite of Social Democratic leader Willy Brandt, appearing at a memorial service for John F. Kennedy and at a rally before a crowd of 20,000. He spoke out against the newly constructed Berlin Wall, calling it “a symbol of the divisions of mankind on the face of the Earth.”

The same day King visited, a man named Michael Meyer attempted an unauthorized escape from East Germany. He made it to the Western side of the city but was shot by East German guards, suffering serious injury but surviving. After his speech, King requested to visit the spot where Meyer was shot.

King also received an invitation from East German pastor Heinrich GrĂĽber to deliver an address at a church in East Berlin. His State Department detail, concerned that a trip to Soviet territory would spark an international incident, withheld his passport. King crossed anyway, with border agents accepting an American Express card as identification.

In East Berlin for just a few hours that night, King gave the same speech in two separate venues, as church organizers were concerned about the possibility of a state crackdown if one event drew too big a crowd.

“We are all God’s children, and no manmade barrier can obliterate that fact,” King said.

CLASS PRESENTATIONS

Each German class that meets this week is spending a minimum of 15 to 20 minutes discussing King’s visit. Professors have access to a presentation featuring details from King’s speeches, as well as a trove of additional articles and multimedia materials prepared by  and Ph.D. candidate .

Bryant, whose research focuses on diverse perspectives in German studies pedagogy, enjoyed bringing a rich variety of materials on King’s visit to Georgetown.

“You could probably do an entire semester on this visit,” Bryant said. “There’s art and literature on this in German, it’s been performed on stage.”

“Everyone teaches about the Berlin Wall. This isn’t in it.” Weigert said.

Professors will use their own discretion on which materials to utilize based on the level of course they’re teaching, and the presentations all offer additional resources for students looking to learn more. Bryant expects it to be a valuable learning opportunity for students at all levels, especially given that the visit has received little attention in German studies circles before this year.

“We have some documents in English and some in German, so depending on the level and instructor, there are options on how to teach it,” Weigert said. “But the main thing is that there’s a commitment from the entire department. This is our contribution.”

A UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION

Weigert is excited that the Department of German has found a unique angle to participate in Georgetown’s MLK Initiative, a cross-campus celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remembered reading somewhere that Dr. King had spent time in Germany,” Weigert said. “I looked it up, and it turned out he had indeed been in both East and West Berlin— shortly after the wall had been built. So I thought maybe we could do a “teach-in” about this visit. This first time around, it’s a a bit of an experiment, but we plan to refine the presentation and ideally repeat this project every February.”

Events thus far have included a nonviolent resistance campaign workshop, a screening of the film “Rebirth of a Nation,” and the annual s.

In addition to the German teach-in, the remainder of February will feature a performance based event sponsored by the , as well as panel discussions on health in the Black community, race and higher education, and the changing nature of Black D.C.  for more information.