In my head, I drew an instant connection between what was happening in Chemnitz and what had happened in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017. A week after the first right-wing protests broke out, peaceful protesters organized a peace concert featuring prominent German artists. Over 60,000 people from Chemnitz and all over Germany attended. That number is almost 1/4 of the population of Chemnitz!
Upon arrival in Chemnitz, I saw many immigrants and people of color going about their days as normal. I work in a school with a large portion of immigrant and minority students. They were still doing their homework and coming to class. This gave me hope. As the weeks went on, I realized that, although what happened in Chemnitz was incredibly horrible, in a way, it forced many residents to realize that they could no longer be complacent to the growing wave of right-wing extremism entering their city and Germany as a whole. Many Chemnitzers who had never been politically active before have begun organizing counter-protests, peace rallies, and educational events.
Looking back, I am so grateful that I decided to stay in Chemnitz and not turn away. In a sense, this is what the people chanting "foreigners out," would have wanted me to do. They would have wanted me to give up on the city and go live somewhere else, but I didn't. Of course, I truly weighed the benefits and costs of moving to this city. There were moments where I questioned my decision to still go, fearing for my safety as a person of color. So far, I feel very safe and welcome here. I love working in my school full of diverse students from all over the world. I am continually impressed by all the kind people I have met here in Chemnitz who are so full of love, acceptance and respect for everyone.
