Invisible Woman Growing As Ika Hügel-Marshall: Book Review

After Germany lost the war in 1945, several Allied soldiers stationed in Germany began to start relationships and marry German women. In German society it sinful to have a biracial relationship. Some German women eventually became pregnant from African-American Allied soldiers, which created a new group in the German society called Afro-Germans or “Occupation Babies”. Many of the fathers of the Occupation Babies did not raise them because Allied soldiers were eventually sent back to their own countries, leaving the German mothers to raise them. Occupation Babies were segregated, treated unequally and unfairly. This personally happens to Ika Hügel-Marshall, who is born an Afro-German. Ika Hügel-Marshall writes her memoir Invisible Woman Growing …show more content…
Ika was tremendously influenced by her grandmother. Ika’s grandmother always defended her and stood up to those who bullied her. From this it gave her the strength and courage to continue in life despite the unfair and harsh treatment she received from society. Ika states: She was there for me, cared for me. . . she never shrank from being seen with me in public. . . she refused to be insulted. . .” (Hügel-Marshall 22). Her grandmother showed her that she was never disappointed in her because of her skin color or who she was. As a result of the constant pattern of her grandmother defending her, Ika has dedicated her hard work into impacting Afro-German feminism. “I have undertaken to express myself unreservedly and to make my opinion known wherever I am in a discussion or dispute with a white German” (Hügel-Marshall 96). Ika has taken the initiative to express her ideas and opinions to the Afro-German feminist and strides to make an impact on them all. She has voiced her objective and pursues to help Afro-German feminist speak up for themselves. From her encouragement Ika has influenced Afro-German feminist and enhanced the movement. Therefore, she “has become an important member of the Black-German community, encouraged by other Afro-German feminist members, by White-German anti-racist activists, and by members of the Black” (Janson 77). Ika has brought Afro-German …show more content…
She is inspired by a well known Afro-German feminist, Audre Lorde, who was one of largest influences of Ika’s life and especially her memoir. Audre was one of the only people who truly understood Ika and she “felt an immediate connection to her” (Hügel-Marshall 95). This gave her the comfortability to discuss topics she was never able to discuss with anyone else such as racism and feminist ideas. From speaking to Audre and expressing her ideas she states “As a Black women, I feel that our struggle for equality against sexism and oppression has overlooked the problem of racism” (Hügel-Marshall 96). Several individuals focus on just the idea of gender and never about the race. Ika realizes that all women are treated less than men. Because there is a racial barrier, all women cannot come together to fight for their oppression. Ika wants others to know that even races have one thing in common, gender. With the help of Audre Lorde, Ika is able to say that Audre: “ encourages [her] and insists that [she] end [her] silence” (Hügel-Marshall 96). Ika is greatly influenced to display her experiences and to help those who experienced similar things that they are not alone. The result of this is that Ika is able to discuss topics about oppressed women like herself and share personal experiences. “Afro-German activist Ika Hügel identifies the links between