When I traveled to Amsterdam, I longed to feed my soul by doing what I love the most: exploring the history of black life in various destinations around the world.
The slogan or catch-phrase “I Amsterdam,” which is sprawled all over the city, provided some insight into the local population’s wide spectrum of cultural make-up.
Later, I learned that “I Amsterdam” embodies the notion that the various cultures present among the city’s population are weighed equally within city’s identity.
Based on things I read prior to traveling, my initial perception of Amsterdam was that of a city where persons of color are able to experience a certain feeling of freedom. My thoughts were almost immediately validated on my first night in the city. A partygoer with a Jamaican accent insisted that I had just touched down in “paradise,” referring to the city being one that has allowed him to fully be himself.
I began to wonder about the origins of the general climate of acceptance. I also wanted more insight into the history of black people and culture in this city, so I set out to discover answers to my queries.
The first large influx of blacks into Amsterdam took place in the 17th century, as a result of the city’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade. That time period was highlighted in the exhibition Swarp op de Graacht at the Museum Geelvinck Hinlopen last year. The exhibition celebrated 150 years since the abolishment of slavery in the Dutch colonies of Surinam and the Dutch Antilles. In the show, historians sought to reveal the history of Amsterdam’s involvement in the trading of common commodities such as cacao, tobacco, sugar and coffee.
Contemporary Amsterdam black history
In search of a little more recent history, a friend of mine in Shanghai suggested that I look into the presence of black soldiers in the city post-World War II. Flipping through the pages of Amsterdam Magazine, I found a black and white photograph of two well-dressed black men who stood alongside two stylish white girls. Taken in 1956 in the city’s Groenburgwal area by famous photographer Ed van der Elsken, the image captured the presence of African-American soldiers on furlough after the war that flocked from West Germany to the city for entertainment.
Shortly thereafter I headed over to The Amsterdam City Archives. Though the exhibition only displayed a couple of photographs with African Americans, they revealed another chunk of interesting history.
I froze at the sight of a 1961 photograph. The picture featured a few sharp looking black men among other folks who were on the steps of the Cotton Club, a bohemian jazz cafe on Amsterdam’s Nieuwmarkt strip. I discovered that the Cotton Club was frequented by black American soldiers and Surinamese Amsterdammers. After learning that this club was still in existence, I quickly headed down to Nieuwmarkt to check out one of the oldest jazz spots in town.
I was met by Marion Lewis herself, granddaughter of the man who opened the Cotton Club in 1940. She began to talk me through the visual history that served as part of the cafe’s decor. She pointed out pictures of her grandparents, mother, friends and lovers – all who had helped to make the Cotton Club the special place that it still is today.
Marion was born in 1955 in Holland to a Dutch mother and a black American father who was soldier stationed in Germany after the war. The Cotton Club, she told me, was one of the first places in the city to allow people of color. During a brief trip to the states, to stay with her father’s side of the family, her mother strongly disliked the treatment of black people in America. That experience prompted her to immediately return with Marion back to Holland. She vowed that she would never allow her daughter to grow up in a racist environment. Marion took a sip of her drink and danced back towards her friends – but not before turning back to say, “Now that’s history baby.”
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