The story of the "Black Aldinger"
The narrator of the following story doesn't want to be mentioned due to personal reasons.
Although born in America he spent his childhood and school time in Fellbach with his grandparents.
After the war he relocated to the States and has been living there with his wife whose parents' house was located at the bottom of the Kappelberg (Fellbach), too.
During one of his frequent visits to the birthplace of his forefathers, he said to me at our wine booth at the Fellbacher wine festival: "Well, have you ever heard that there are black Aldingers?"
He noticed my surprise and curiosity and immediately started to tell me the following story:
"About 40 years ago my wife and I passed the Southern states going to Florida by car. Near the highway I discovered in big letters the name "Aldinger" on a mailbox.
Naturally I was curious and so we spontaneously went along the long road to an old farmers' house. A black man opened the door, a fact that didn't hit me at first.
But I was really astonished when he declared after my question about Mr. Aldinger: "That's myself!"
He saw the surprise on our faces and understood that we were really interested in the circumstances of how an Aldinger whose roots once upon a time had been in Germany came to have a black skin or how a black man could inherit the Aldinger name.
But soon we were told the solution of the mystery: His grand-grandfather had worked as a slave at the farm of a married but childless couple named Aldinger.
Because he was a good and honest worker they adopted him and gave him their name.
As a moral you can see that it is better never to talk or to think bad about other people and races because you never know if you speak to a distant sister or brother of yourself.
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