Of the atrocities in Germany during and after World War II, one caused by the U.S. occupation went largely underreported: thousands of children were born to African American soldiers and white German women were abandoned.
The U.S. military’s policy at the time was to reject all claims of paternity made by German mothers.
Many of the soldiers chose to marry their German girlfriends. Others were forbidden to do so and returned to the states. More never knew they had become fathers or simply abandoned the woman because they already had families in the states.
Single mothers risked social persecution by keeping their biracial children and witnessing how others were treated frightened them. No one would hire them, and they were unable to secure housing so the babies were placed in orphanages. The mere presence of these children reminded Germans of a defeated nation.
The number of brown babies, or mischlingskinders, a derogatory German term for mixed-race children, quickly reached crisis level.
Learning about these orphaned children stirred Mabel Grammer (1915–2002), a journalist, to take action. She and her husband, Oscar Grammer, who was stationed in Mannheim, Germany, in 1950, adopted 12 of the children. Later the couple found homes for 500 more.
The Brown Baby Plan was born. During the couple’s time in Germany, the local newspapers dubbed Mabel “the Black Fairy.”
In spite of its positive intentions, Grammer’s plan did not escape criticism: Some social service agencies felt Grammer wasn’t experienced enough in child welfare matters to oversee adoptions; civil rights groups felt that adopting Black children in the Jim Crow South would fulfil a more urgent need.
Mabel Grammar with Husband. Mabel and Oscar Grammer. During their time in Germany, the house was always full of children. Credit: U.S. Army Office of the Surgeon General.
There were about 5,000 of these babies born between 1945 and 1955. The numbers increased exponentially in the 1960s.
From 1950 to 1954, and then from 1959 to 1965, Grammer helped these children find homes with Black families. Many were placed with military families stationed in Germany. Others were placed in civilian homes in the United States under the Displaced Persons Act of 1948. It was assumed that being a part of a Black family made it so they could “more easily assimilate into the culture.”
Some of the babies never left Europe. Others remained in orphanages or were adopted by German and Danish families.
In 1956, Grammer wrote: “I can’t understand why people think it is so strange for a colored couple to adopt these children. Don’t they think we have hearts, too? And you don’t have to be wealthy to adopt children. I never had so little financially as we have now, but my children are just as well provided for as any others. If you really want to do something you can.”
Grammer also worked at the War Department, where she rallied for Black servicemen to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Deeply religious, she held on to her desire to help others. The “one-woman adoption agency” died in 2002.
Tamara Shiloh
Tamara Shiloh has published the first two books in her historical fiction chapter book series,
Just Imagine…What If There Were No Black People in the World is about African American inventors, scientists and other notable Black people in history. The two books are
Jaxon’s Magical Adventure with Black Inventors and Scientists and
Jaxon and Kevin’s Black History Trip Downtown. Tamara Shiloh has also written a book a picture book for Scholastic,
Cameron Teaches Black History, that will be available in June, 2022.
Tamara Shiloh’s other writing experiences include: writing the Black History column for the Post Newspaper in the Bay area, Creator and Instruction of the black History Class for Educators a professional development class for teachers and her non-profit offers a free Black History literacy/STEM/Podcast class for kids 3d – 8th grade which also includes the Let’s Go Learn Reading and Essence and tutorial program. She is also the owner of the Multicultural Bookstore and Gifts, in Richmond, California,
Previously in her early life she was the /Editor-in-Chief of
Desert Diamonds Magazine, highlighting the accomplishments of minority women in Nevada; assisting with the creation, design and writing of a Los Angeles-based, herbal magazine entitled
Herbal Essence; editorial contribution to
Homes of Color; Editor-in-Chief of
Black Insight Magazine, the first digital, interactive magazine for African Americans; profile creations for sports figures on the now defunct PublicFigure.com; newsletters for various businesses and organizations; and her own Las Vegas community newsletter,
Tween Time News, a monthly publication highlighting music entertainment in the various venues of Las Vegas.
She is a member of:
- Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)
- Richmond Chamber of Commerce
- Point Richmond Business Association
- National Association of Professional Women (NAPW)
- Independent Book Publishers Association (IPBA)
- California Writers Club-Berkeley & Marin
- Richmond CA Kiwanis
- Richmond CA Rotary
- Bay Area Girls Club
Tamara Shiloh, a native of Northern California, has two adult children, one grandson and four great-grand sons. She resides in Point Richmond, CA with her husband, Ernest.
www.multiculturalbookstore.com
