The Nazi Persecution of Black People in Germany
When the Nazis came to power in 1933, there were several thousand Black people living in Germany. The Nazi regime harassed and persecuted them because the Nazis viewed Black people as racially inferior. While there was no centralized, systematic program targeting Black people for murder, many Black people were imprisoned, forcibly sterilized, and murdered by the Nazis.
Key Facts
The Nazis harassed and discriminated against Black people in Germany. The regime’s racial laws limited their social and economic opportunities.
The Nazi regime forcibly sterilized an unknown number of Black and multiracial people, including at least 385 multiracial Rhineland children (derogatorily called the “Rhineland Bastards”).
There was no coordinated arrest wave targeting all Black people in Germany. Nonetheless, many Black people ended up imprisoned in workhouses, prisons, hospitals, psychiatric facilities, and concentration camps.