For a long time....Mohrenstraße just existed, and no one (even local residents) said much of anything. If someone asked for a meaning.....it meant 'Moors Street'....and they related it to African people.
Derogatory? Well....yeah, in some way.
This street dates back to the 1700s....running near landmarks like the Gendarmenmarkt and the former site of the Berlin Conference (1884–1885, which formalized European colonial partitions of Africa).
Oddly, at least around intellectuals....this street started debates on racism, colonialism, history, and decolonization (over the past 20-odd years). If you ask me.....they needed something to argue about.
Things reached a point about four years ago....where some folks wanted to remove the perceived racist name. Yeah, this led to legal battles and court situations.
Where this really started? If you go back to the 1700s....there was a Berlin community of African residents (who probably were merchants....not slaves) in the Friedrichstadt area (mixed possibly including enslaved or freed people).
Somewhere around 2020....the city council for this district (led by the Green Party)....did a vote and agreed to rename it Anton-Wilhelm-Amo-Straße, honoring Anton Wilhelm Amo (1703–1759).
Who was Amo? Well...a West African philosopher born in what is now Ghana. The original story told was that he was kidnapped as a child and brought to Germany. Amo then became the first Black university professor in Europe, studying and teaching philosophy. I should add....there's a new argument here brewing that his dad arranged a movement to Berlin...to educate the kid...having nothing to do with slavery.
Folks felt good about the Amo story....showing the evils against colonialism.
Any folks against the Amo renaming? This came up....that everyone who lived on Mohrenstraße...would have to deal with address changes, and this was not necessary (at least in their mind).
Back in August of 2025.....they had a ceremony. The street was renamed. Yep....complete with a street festival, poetry readings, music and new signs installed.
So 4 Oct 2025 came....a twist occurred. This Amo guy (dead for 200 years plus)...well....his family in some way....was tied to the slave-industry/sales.
Adding to this...the family had connections to the transatlantic slave trade. They owned plantations in the Caribbean and profited from enslaved labor.
Some folks suggest renaming again.
This to consume more argument efforts? Yeah. But look....if you weren't arguing over colonization....you'd probably argue over the off-sides rule in soccer.
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