Should the word ‘Rasse’ (or ‘race’) be removed from Germany’s constitution?

In the wake of nationwide and international protests against racism, Germany’s Green Party wants to change Article 3 of the nation’s Basic Law by removing “Rasse” – in English, “race” – from the text. The conversation is not new, but controversial. Proponents of removing the word say it’s linked to Nazi ideology and this change is long overdue. Others say this move is too hasty and would actually harm people of color.

This week on Studio Berlin, host Sylvia Cunningham discusses this complex issue with Werner Graf, the chairman of the Greens in Berlin; Martin Fischer, an evolutionary biologist and professor at the University of Jena; Natasha Kelly, a sociologist who focuses on colonialism and feminism; and Anatol Stefanowitsch, a linguist and professor at the Freie Universität Berlin (Free University).