May Ayim is well known for being one of the most prominent figures in leading awareness for the equality of Afro-Germans. She originally made an appearance in the spotlight when she began her thesis research on Afro-German history, which was the first of its kind. Her thesis became the foundation for the book, Showing Our Colors: Afro-German Women Speak Out. Her book is also discussed in the biography on this blog and described accounts of Afro-German women’s struggles of growing up in Germany and the hardships they faced. The content of this book allowed generations of Afro-German women to share their stories with the world, an opportunity they had not previously been given. This enabled the issues to become visible to a wider audience, and at the time, it was the authors’ hope that this visibility would help in assisting future Afro-Germans to know that they are not alone and to understand that they too should speak out and let Germany, and the world, know their strife.
It was not long after her contributions to this innovative documentary novel, that May co-founded the Initiative Schwarze Deutsche (ISD), Initiative of Black People in Germany, alongside fellow activist Audre Lorde. This was a further attempt to help Afro-Germans band together and support one another. The group still remains an active community today, and continues to work towards the foundational objectives established by Lorde and Ayim. Their mission is multifaceted. Foremost, the ISD strives to represent the many relevant and essential interests of black people who call Germany home. It endeavors to promote Black consciousness and to oppose racism, as well as to support networking amongst the greater Afro-German community.
May Ayim’s role in Berlin’s society continued after the publication of her work Showing Our Colors. She began working as a lecturer at the Free University of Berlin, while also continuing her writing. Her work was centered on the difficulties multi-ethnic people in Germany face, and on the complex ideas reflected around personal identity. This was shared primarily in the form of articles and poetry, for which much inspiration came from Ayim’s own troubled childhood. Throughout the remainder of her life, she was a fervent writer and educator, publishing more work and participating in multiple conferences and summits. These meetings were primarily centered around her passion for the enhancement of the lives of those around her and revolving around the hope of a better life for Afro-Germans in Germany.
Through her contribution of famous written works and speeches, as well as leadership in initiating the movement for Afro-Germans, Ayim’s greatest legacy to society is arguably that her work lives on to influence future generations. Before May Ayim, there was not an initiative for Black people in Germany or published research about the struggles that this distinct community and subculture has faced. There was not a leader to recognize that Afro-Germans deserve the support of a community and the respect of the nation as a whole. Ayim created this role and helped to shed the immensely needed light on a subset of the German population whose voices were lacking. Her pioneering research revealed to the world that there are struggles and barriers that need to be overcome, and Afro-Germans today are still feeling the reverberations of the strides she made.
Not only did Ayim help to bring Afro-German discord to the forefront of Germany’s modern societal issues, but she also paved the way for other minority groups to have their voices heard as well. Although she was not an immigrant herself, she had her personal struggle as an adopted child in a white family. Additionally, her biological father was a Ghanaian while her mother was a white German, which helped other minorities relate to her and aided them in realizing that they too could achieve more with the support of a coalition like the Initiative of Black People in Germany, or with the confidence of a similar German minority organization. With Ayim’s pioneering activist mentality, she was able to inspire many forward-thinking individuals in the years to come, now and in the future.
Whether she realized the full fruition of her impact remains unknown, as she tragically ended her own life in 1996. However, to honor her work, her legacy lives on in many ways, including the continuation of her foundation and the expansion of awareness for the Afro-German community. She is also recognized as an inspirational leader and role model through the May Ayim Award, which was founded in 2004. This is the first of its kind, a Black German International Literature Award. The award’s intent is to mitigate the discrepancy that black authors in Germany face in the world of literature, a cause Ayim herself would no doubt be proud to have her name behind. Along with an award in her name, a street in Kreuzberg was renamed May-Ayim-Ufer to serve as a constant reminder of her notable work.
Sources
Flanc Newsletter. “May Ayim’s Legacy in World Language Study.” FLANC Newsletter (n.d.): n. pag. Gerlind Institute. 2012. Web. 26 May 2015.
Sandjon, Chantal-Fleur. “The Space Between Yesterday and Today: May Ayim.” Berlin Post-Colonial. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2015.