Hans J. Massaquoi
Hans-Jürgen Massaquoi was a German American journalist and author, the son of a German mother and Liberian Vai father. His paternal grandfather was Momulu Massaquoi, the consul general of Liberia in Germany at the time and the first African diplomat to represent his country in Germany.
Growing up in Hamburg, Massaquoi suffered severe discrimination during the Nazi dictatorship, an experience he later wrote about in his memoir, Destined to Witness. After spending time with his paternal family in Liberia, he eventually emigrated to the United States, where he took up employment with and, over time, became editor in chief of Ebony magazine. In the course of his career as a journalist, he met and interviewed numerous celebrities, among them Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Jesse Jackson, Muhammad Ali (who also became a close friend), Diana Ross, Jimmy Carter, and former German foreign minister Walter Scheel.
“Initially, the purveyors of racism need no more than the silent acquiescence of the public ... [I]t is never too soon to confront bigotry and racism whenever, wherever, and in whatever form it raises its ugly head. It is incumbent upon all people to confront even the slightest hint of racist thought or action with zero tolerance.”