In the almost ninety years I've lived I have done a lot and worked in a lot of jobs. It's a long list, and at the top stands “the little Neger in the grass skirt” from the Völkerschau. That grass skirt followed me through life, even when I was grown up. “Can you sing, can you dance? No? But a Neger has to be able to sing and dance.” Or conversely: “You move like us, you talk like us – well, you're not so black after all.” That thing about race is still stuck in people's heads. You can see it in the smallest aspects of everyday life.

It might be that when I'm returning from a trip to another European country the passport officer waves everybody else through and stops me: “Passport, please.” I ask, “Why?” He says, “General ID check.” “But you waved all the other passengers through. Why are you stopping me?” He: “You're entering the Federal Republic from abroad and I have the right to inspect your documents!” I hand him my passport, commenting that if that's the case he should be asking for the documents of all the passengers. I'm speaking quietly and calmly. But the passengers behind me are irritated. Because now the passport officer is doing just that. The two of us know perfectly well that he only stopped me because of the color of my skin. But all the other passengers were white, and that's of no interest to them.

But the Federal Republic of Germany is not a racist state. Many think it is, but I don't agree. The constitution stands against that claim, as does the rule of law that it guarantees. Our current political system is the best this country has ever had. That doesn't mean it can't be improved. For example in terms of immigration policy. But the consciousness of most Germans has changed, too. The Federal Republic is a country in which there are still people with racist attitudes, though. We have to deal with those people and those attitudes and face them down. And that applies to other European countries too.