On September 21 of this year, the colorful and boisterous Steuben Parade will make its way up Manhattan's iconic Fifth Avenue for the 62nd time. Founded in 1957, by German immigrants and German-Americans, it is the largest celebration of its kind in the United States. This year, I have the honor of serving as Grand Marshal. I follow in the footsteps of generations of Germans and Americans dedicated to commemorating the unique and special friendship between our two countries, a friendship that has transcended political differences and a globalized world that has changed dramatically over the past six decades.
One of the most momentous events over this span of time has been the Fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. And in terms of dramatic change, it was completely inconceivable to many that this would ever come about. And yet, February 5 of last year marked the point at which the wall had been down as long as it had been in place – 10,316 days, to be exact. During this time, the wall exacted a terrible toll. While the exact number of casualties is unknown, it is estimated that 262 people died at the Berlin Wall, many of whom were shot by East German border guards as they attempted to cross to freedom. The 870-mile internal German border claimed yet more lives.
Contrast this with the raucous celebrations of the evening of November 9, 1989, in what quickly became one of the largest and most joyous street parties the world had ever seen. By the time SED Party official Günter Schabowski made his now infamous statement that evening where he rifled through his notes and stammered that he thought that restrictions on travel across the border should be lifted “without delay,” many people had displayed the courage and fortitude to challenge the status quo and the brick-and-mortar scar on Berlin's psyche. President Reagan's famous “Tear down this wall!” speech from June 1987 finally led to action.
Whereas the physical destruction of the wall began hours after Schabowski's announcement – the world remembers ordinary Berliners smashing the wall with hammers and whatever other tools they could get their hands on – the psychological and economic effects of the division lasted much longer and in some cases persist to this day. Those who remember the wall as it once stood may find it curious that segments of it are carefully preserved today and little pieces of it sold as souvenirs. And yet it is important that it is preserved in this way so that future generations who will have no personal memory of the wall as it once existed are able to learn about the Cold War, the division of Germany, and the help of the U.S. to overcome it. “It was the Americans who made German unity possible and we will never forget that,” Foreign Minister Maas pointed out in a speech in Washington last year.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the fall of the wall, and there are many people who are able to tell us first-hand accounts of that fateful and dramatic day. Some of these are stories of the same German-American friendship that the Steuben Parade celebrates. All these stories are not only a significant memory; they are also a motivation for me and many others to stand up for freedom and the friendship between our two countries. The transatlantic relationship is solid today, supported by years of close cooperation. Germany and the U.S. will once again celebrate the fall of the wall, 30 years after that fateful day that changed Germany forever.
Emily Margarethe Haber | German Ambassador to the U.S.
.. has been German Ambassador to the United States since June 2018. Immediately prior to this, Emily Haber, a career foreign service officer, was deployed to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, serving as State Secretary overseeing security and migration at the height of the refugee crisis in Europe. In this capacity, she worked closely with the U.S. administration on topics ranging from the fight against international terrorism to global cyberattacks and cybersecurity. In 2009, she was appointed Political Director and, in 2011, State Secretary at the Foreign Office, the first woman to hold either post.
Emily Margarethe Haber
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