Pretty sure I got kicked out of a birthday party I was invited to for being black
I experienced something yesterday that left me genuinely shocked and confused.
I’m a Black Canadian female, 26, temporarily living in Berlin and yesterday I attended a birthday party at Stadionblick after being invited by a friend.
When I arrived, I introduced myself to the birthday guy, wished him a happy birthday and gave him local moonshine made in Berlin, looked around for a minute or two for a friend then sat down beside someone I knew.
Within seconds after I sat down, the host/birthday guy came over to me and said “I’m sorry, let’s go.” I followed him outside, thinking he wanted to speak privately. Instead, he simply told me to leave and gave me the moonshine back.
I was so confused that I tried to go back inside to get my bag, but he blocked the doorway until I gestured that I needed it. I grabbed my bag, told my friends I was leaving because I’d just been kicked out and left.
The part that affected me most was my friends’ reaction. They were all completely shocked. The friend who invited me had no idea this would happen. Three of my friends left the party with me and one of them was crying because he couldn’t believe what had happened and felt I didn’t deserve to be treated that way.
I still don’t know why I was asked to leave. No explanation was given. Was it because of my race? I honestly don’t know. I can’t say that as a fact because no one told me that’s why. But as the only Black person there, it’s difficult not to question whether that played a role.
This is my first experience in Germany that has made me feel this way. Most people I’ve met here have been kind which is why this incident was so shocking. I’m sharing this not to attack Germany or to accuse an entire country of being racist. I’m sharing it because experiences like this can leave people questioning themselves, and because racism whether overt or subtle is still something that people can encounter here in Germany.
Has anyone else experienced something similar in Germany, whether as a foreigner or as a German? How did you process it?
Update: my friend asked the host if I could come
And he said yes so my attendance wasn’t a surprise