VIOLENCE AGAINST AFRO-RUSSIAN CHILDREN INCREASES

 

Violence against Afro-Russians is on the rise.  Sadly, even children are not immune from racial incidents.  In recent months, there have been a number of attacks on our metis children. At least seven of them have recently been beaten by racists.

 

Oxford Ebem, 9 years old, was beaten on the street by a Russian girl in September. Not one person passing by came to his assistance.  Ebem spent a month in the hospital.  That same month, another 9-year old, Gibe Kaba, was also beaten by a group of Russians near his house.  Gibe spent several weeks in the hospital.

 

In another incident, 16-year old Christiana Kobshosk was beaten by a group of Russians girls as she was waiting at a bus stop in October.

 

An absolutely appalling case occurred when Michael Filnadish, 8 years old, was beaten on the head by his teacher.  Michael's injuries were so serious that he also was admitted to the hospital.  Thanks to intervention by METIS, the teacher was reprimanded by the Ministry of Education.  She apologized to Michael and his family.

 

For Igor Frolov the attacks are nothing new.  This 19-year old has suffered many times at the hands of Russian racists, starting when he was a boy in school.  Igor was beaten again shortly after the terrorist act in Beslan. Due to these constant beatings, Igor has become disabled

 

Of course the attacks are not limited to Moscow and take place in other cities also.  Seven year old Lima Johnson was beaten by teenagers from his school in Kaliningrad.  Daved Naherna, an 8-year old from Ryazan, was beaten by a Russian man near his house. However, the METIS branch in Ryazan filed this case in court, and won.   The guilty man has received a fine.

 

Although local authorities often discount racial motivations of such attacks, in the cases of all these beatings there is no other explanation.  The attackers scream, “Negro, go home!"  But these mixed-race children are Russian; this is their home. BACK TO TOP

 

 

SKINHEAD ATTACK RESULTS IN DEATH

 

It is with great sadness that Metis reports the death of Sekou Kaba, from injuries sustained in an assault by skinheads.  Mr. Sekou, 22, spent several months in the hospital following his attack.  He died in Moscow on April 5, leaving behind his mother and five younger siblings.  His father, from Guinea, has abandoned the family.

 

Mr. Sekou's family is in need of financial assistance.  If you can help in any way, please contact METIS. BACK TO TOP

 

ANGLO-AMERICAN SCHOOL STUDENTS HELP OUT

 

A group of National Honor Society students from the Anglo-American School of Moscow (AAS) have begun a mutually beneficial relationship with METIS.  These 11^th- and 12^th-graders have now attended two METIS gatherings, conducting fun activities with the children and helping prepare food packages for distribution. 

 

“Our children have very much enjoyed the games that AAS students brought and played with them,” states Emilia Mensah, METIS President.  The children also benefit in other ways from interaction with AAS students.  Mensah continues, “We have noticed that AAS students have the experience to work with inter-racial children. They are free-minded and they teach our children to be the same. Once again, we want to thank the AAS students for.…supporting [our] children.”

 

The AAS students have also enjoyed their time with METIS.  Lauren Eisenmenger, who has organized this group's work with METIS, notes they also benefit from their work with the METIS children, and says they look forward to continuing their relationship. BACK TO TOP

 

MEET METIS - A Staffer's Experience

By Alexander Preko

 

My name is Alexander Preko.  I am a citizen of Ghana and a student at Moscow State University. I had the opportunity to work at the METIS fund through the Executive Director of United Way-Moscow, Ms. Tatiana  Zadirako.

 

My experience with both organizations is proving very meaningful.  At METIS I am gaining a better understanding of the problems faced by mixed-race children and their families.  Well, METIS has existed for the past 6 years and we have some problems that we would like to share with our readers.

 

First and foremost is the lack of financial resources to run the organization.  We have very little money available to offer programs and activities for the children.  The lack of funds also hampers the charity's ability to function smoothly as an organization, with paid professional staff.  For example, I receive only a $50 monthly stipend, supported by IWC [International Women's Club of Moscow].  We also need an office where the staff can easily carry out its day-to-day activities.  At the moment we are located in the apartment of [METIS President] Emilia Mensah, which is not very convenient for her or for the staff members. 

 

Nevertheless, we are helping roughly 300 children survive.  We are trying to find sponsors to help them get a good education and feel free in Russian society.  We also try to help their mothers, who don't have any support from their former husbands.

 

My best regards go to Emilia for accepting me to work with her. She is really committed to her work, and the love and affection that she has for these kids cannot be expressed. BACK TO TOP

 

CONTRIBUTIONS OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS, AFRICANS TO RUSSIA

 

In each segment of this series we will introduce you to historically significant African-Americans and Africans and their contributions to Russia. This second article is about Robert Ross, an actor and humanitarian from the USA who worked on behalf of African-Americans in Russia.

 

Robert Ross was a black American actor.  He arrived in the Soviet Union in the 1930's.  Before WWII he became a Russian citizen.  Robert had a family here, a Russian wife and two children.  For this reason he did not want to leave during the war. 

 

The Ross family had a difficult time, even after the war.  They lived in Moscow, in only one room, and Robert had little money to support his family.

 

However, he did not return to the US.  At that time there was widespread discrimination in the United States, while in Russia there was tolerance.  Here Robert could walk down the street with his white wife.

 

In the course of his life here, Robert Ross acted in many Russian films.  One of them was a film against racial discrimination called Circus, in which Robert appeared with the most famous actress of that time, Lyuba Orilova.  Circus was about a white woman who came to Russia from the US and gave birth to a black son, who was loved by everyone in Russia. 

 

In those days, although money was important, if you knew someone from the Communist Party they could help you to achieve your goals.  Robert's smiles and his appearance shocked the communist elite.  Yet when he visited them at their offices, his requests were always granted!  He was usually accompanied by his second wife Lolita Litwinian.  She was a white lady with blond hair and blue eyes – quite a contrast to her husband Robert!  

 

During Soviet times, there was not much information available to the public here about the United States.  Robert held lectures about capitalism, the life of African-Americans, and racial discrimination.  He lectured in many towns throughout the Soviet Union.  Robert died in the late 1970s.

 

Robert Ross was a very kind person, and he worked to unite all African-Americans living in the Soviet Union.  There were many lean years here, with starvation and joblessness.  Robert tried to help his colleagues in these difficult times.  The children of those people are also grateful to Robert.  He helped them to get admitted into universities and acquire a higher education.  One of Robert's own daughters, Ella, became a well-known opera singer and another daughter, Inna, was a medical technician.

 

For more information about blacks in Russia you may purchase from METIS the educational video “The Black Man is Walking Across Moscow,” which tells the story of three generations of blacks in Russia.  Email us at metis2001@mail.ru if interested.   BACK TO TOP

   

A SPECIAL FRIEND

By Emilia Mensah

 

Helen Torian is an American lady from upstate New York, a member of the extended Tynes family.  I met her long before our organization started.  In the early 1990s, there was much news on US radio and TV about economic conditions in the Russian Federation.  At the time, people here were lacking clothing and shoes.  Helen had a house full of clothes, shoes, toys, etc., and she started helping Russians with these things.  Before visiting Russia, I would go to Helen's to get some items for my neighbors and friends and in Moscow. 

 

When I started METIS in 1997, Helen provided me with a lot of information about the culture of African-Americans.  She donated to METIS children many books written by African-Americans.  The children were very curious to learn about some African-American heroes.

 

Helen also took me to different stores to buy dark-skinned dolls.  These are very important for metis children to play with.  In Russia, children only see white dolls.  I also learned from Helen how to organize a charitable fund.  Helen was a former science teacher, a very energetic woman who had traveled much overseas, including twice to Russia.  Helen spent much of her time studying and learning about different countries' history, culture, and traditions. I hope one day Helen will tell her grandchildren and friends about her great experiences.  METIS is deeply grateful to Helen for her assistance. BACK TO TOP

 

METIS TO OFFER EDUCATIONAL CENTER WITH ARC, IWC, SCO

           

 

Once again, we would like to thank the ARC, IWC, and SECO for supporting the educational center for the Metis children of Moscow. This Educational center was established a few years ago. The children greatly enjoy studying in the center and all of them have been able to find part-time jobs to help support their families. As the number of children enrolled in these classes continues to grow, we have set up classes in two different locations.             The first location is in the north of Moscow at the T.A.S.U. Academy and the second is the Children's Library located in the Southwest of Moscow. These classes in separate locations will allow a greater number of children who live in all different parts of Moscow to attend them. The classes will resume in September in both locations at the T.A.S.U Academy in the North of Moscow, and the Children's Library in Southwestern Moscow near Metro Beliaevo.

            The Teachers will be drawn from the Academy faculty, as well as from the Russian-African community.  French and English are considered to be the two most critical foreign languages for children of Russian-African heritage, since they are spoken widely on the African continent in addition to the rest of the world. The computer classes will be held in the T.A.S.U academy and the Children's Library as well.  BACK TO TOP

 

UNITED WAY WILL RENEW GRANT FOR FOOD PACKAGES PROJECT

           

            METIS is grateful to United Way Moscow for its continued support of the Food Packages Distribution Project and its demonstrated confidence in METIS work. 100 METIS families receive support from United Way. The mothers of these families because of the humanitarian assistance are able to provide more time and care for their fatherless children. This support encourages the mothers to help their children receive additional education rather then having to focus on multiple jobs just to provide enough for their families. METIS distributes the food packages at its monthly Ethnic gatherings for the African-Russian community in Moscow. BACK TO TOP

 

Contributions of African-Americans, Africans to Russia

In each segment of this topic series we will introduce to you historically significant African-Americans and Africans and their contributions to Russia. This first article is about George Tynnes who lived and worked in Russia for 51 years and was honored by the Soviet Gov. For his achievements.

George  Tynes, a man of African-American  and Seneca Indian heritage, arrived in the Soviet Union in 1933. Young, energetic, tall and broad-shouldered, the young man impressed those he met with his great strength and work ability.

            In the States, Tynnes was an accomplished American football player, named to the all-American team in the 1930's. He gained notoriety as the first American football player to play without a helmet.

            In the Soviet Union Tynes worked on contract as an agricultural specialist and was sent to different regions of the country, by the Soviet Ministry of Agriculture, to teach poultry farming. As part of his assignment he worked in Ukraine, the Crimea, Krasnodar and central Asia. In central Asia he met his future wife Maria who was 11 years his junior. She and her six siblings were orphaned during the years of Stalinist repression, after their father was killed and their mother subsequently died. They were then sent from their home city of Saratov to central Asia. Despite Maria's tragic childhood, she completed her secondary education and became an accountant. After marrying Tynnes, she taught him Russian and was his first assistant on his agricultural assignment. They lived together for more than twenty-five years. Maria gave birth to four Metis children, three of whom lived to adulthood and received a higher education. Nellie died in childhood due to the poor medical care she received in the provinces. Slava became a leading expert on African and African-American social issues.  Emilia became a science teacher, teaching in Russia, Africa and the United States. Since 1998, Emilia has been the leader of the Children's Charity Fund Metis in Moscow. The Tynes' fourth child, Ruben, is a construction engineer who also helps Emilia run the Metis Fund.  Each of the Tynes' grandchildren and great-grandchildren is receiving a higher education.

When the Second World War began, Tynes served on the local front for the Soviet Union. He raised ducks, which were used to feed soldiers. It was difficult for him to work because there were no other men to help with hard labor; only women remained on the farm. In spite of the fact that he was an educated man with a university degree, Tynes worked alongside simple Russian women to feed 5,000-7,000 ducks twice a day. Although there was no proper feeding equipment, it was expected that the ducks would be ready to be sent to the front twenty days after they were hatched, if not sooner.

            Tynes chose to remain in Russia, unlike many other Americans who returned to the States and abandoned their wives and children. George received a Soviet passport, which cited his nationality as “Soviet negr.”

It was only in the 1960's that he was able to return to the United States to see the large family he had not seen in many years.  When Maria saw him off, she was unsure if he would return because with the onset of the Cold War, travel to and from the Soviet Union was limited. Tynes' family was surprised that he had chosen to live in the Soviet Union for so long, given the fact that his salary was so low. They expected him to remain in the States. But after only a month, Tynes decided to return to his family in the Soviet Union. In spite of a difficult financial situation, Tynes felt a greater sense of freedom in the Soviet Union. Although his passport indicated that he was a  “negr,” he had many Russian friends who did not notice the color of his skin. They loved and respected him greatly.

            Because his father was a pastor, Tynes spent much of his childhood in church. The lessons that he learned about charitable work inspired him to help the African-American

families that remained in the Soviet Union.  In the 1950's, Tynes worked as a collective farmer in Ramenskoe, just outside of Moscow. Many African-Americans would come to visit Tynes' family and everyone was always given a bag of fruits, vegetables and ducks or chicken from his own farm when they left.

            Tynes and other African-Americans discovered another life for themselves in the Soviet Union, a life that gave them more freedom than the y had in the United States.  With their hard work, they made great contributions to the development of the Soviet Union. BACK TO TOP

 

First Newspaper Article dedicated to mixed-race Russians

 

“Black Russians” was issued on the 29^th of July 2004 in the Moscowsky Comsomolets in the Anatomy of Life section and was written by Irena Finaykina. The article features an interview with Emelia Mensah head of the Metis foundation and interviews with mothers and grandmothers of Metis children. It also features an article by psychiatrist Mikhail Vinogradoff concerning Russian mentality towards foreigners, especially those of different races.  The article also contains interviews of Skinheads who said that they wanted to “cleanse the nation” and to not allow the inter-racial relationships, which result in mixed race children. At the end of the article Irena Finaykina makes a reference to Alexander Pushkin, who was part black, and states if he was around today he could be discriminated against or even killed by skinheads. She adds, that the skinheads, while in school, most likely may have read and memorized many famous works of Pushkin, while knowing that he was part black.

            For information about blacks in Russia you should read this article or you may purchase from the Metis Foundation the movie “The Black man is Walking Across Moscow” about 3 generations of blacks in Russia.  Please E-mail us at metis2001@mail.ru if interested.  BACK TO TOP

 

Volunteer's Experience with METIS By:  Hisham Ali-Khan

 

My name is Hisham Ali-Khan and I am 16 years old. I am a junior at the Webb high school and live in Claremont California. Last year I visited Moscow with my father, mother and brother, during which time I met with Tatiana Zadirako, a friend of my aunt and the Executive Director of United Way Moscow. I told Tatiana that I was interested to do some volunteer work in various Moscow community support organizations. I thus came back this year for two weeks to work as a volunteer with United Way, who in turn referred me to Russia house, a rehabilitation center for the mentally ill and METIS the inter-racial children charity fund. My experience with both organizations has been very meaningful.

At METIS I gained a better understanding of the problems faced by mixed-race children and their families and the support that METIS provides to help these children cope with the ethnic and racial problems in Russia. While America does however experience racial discrimination, being from southern California, a region with many different ethnic groups, I never really had any first-hand experience with such problems. Here I have learnt about the difficulties faced by the children and their families. What they have to go through is truly tragic, and there appears to be very little awareness of such issues.

I was really impressed to see how committed Emilia Mensah is to METIS and its cause, and the love and affection that she gives to the children and their families. While working with METIS I helped Emilia with the funding proposals, the current fall 2004 newsletter, and other documentation. I also met with Asiya, Rafaela, Igor, Elizabeth and Osvald, who are some METIS children, and spent time with them talking about their school, friends, music, and their experiences at the summer camp. We also celebrated Rafaela's birthday, and the children played the piano. I found that they were very bright, young, talented individuals with a great desire to learn, which was evident in the way they spoke, their musical ability and their command of the English language. While my time here has been short, I hope I have contributed in some small way to METIS.  I wish the best of luck to Emilia, the METIS organization and the METIS families and I hope perhaps I can come again to Moscow and meet the wonderful people of METIS. BACK TO TOP