„As a Black person with a 0.9 Abitur, I‘ve never fit into the Stadtbild,“ writes Louis Lazar Timm in his post. The image shows the 25-year-old with his grandmother. He once told his grandmother about his lived reality  – the fear and prejudices he faces – and she was completely shocked. His reaction to Chancellor Friedrich Merz’ Stadtbild statement went viral on TikTok, Instagram and LinkedIn, generating around five million views and 150,000 likes. Now, it’s time to meet the young startup entrepreneur in person.

At the meeting, Timm wears a white suit and a black durag – a headscarf tied at the back of the neck, as rappers often wear. How did the post come about? The 25-year-old explains that he had moved in with his 81-year-old grandmother two months ago due to her poor health. While cooking healthy meals for her, he shared his everyday reality, in which people often barely believe that he completed his Abitur with a 0.9 GPA

Or that he is among the best law students in the country, has a scholarship and did an internship at the United Nations in New York, or that a year ago, alongside his two degree programs, he founded a startup. „Grandma and I are very different in terms of our age and skin color, that‘s probably exactly why we work so well in this photo. Because we are the Stadtbild.“

„Many people move away from me on the train“

Timm reflects on his personal experience as a German graduate: „Many people say that I wasn‘t the one Merz was talking about when he spoke about the Stadtbild. But many people move away from me on the train or keep their distance anxiously when I get off at Görlitzer Bahnhof or Kottbusser Tor wearing a hoodie, even though I‘m still the same person.“

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The 25-year-old, born with a slightly smaller left hand, attended the Poelchau-Gymnasium at Olympiapark, an elite sports school, where he excelled in track and field and, despite his handicap, became a skilled pianist. His father came from Togo over 30 years ago and fell in love with a Berlin woman with whom he started a family. Timm has three other siblings. His mother also takes in short-term foster children from crisis situations. „That experience had a strong influence on my commitment to social causes,“ says Timm.

„Let‘s focus on what we have in common instead of our differences!“

What did Timm feel when he heard Friedrich Merz‘s words about the problematic Stadtbild? „I find it extremely unfortunate that the leadership of our country, which is supposed to stand for unity, is responsible for our society becoming increasingly divided,“ says the 25-year-old. „Unity and justice and freedom are already in the lyrics of our national anthem!“ Such words, he says, are painful: „they destroy what I dream of and what I work for and what my community and all the young people I know, who are extremely ambitious, fight for every day.“ Louis Lazar Timm‘s credo: „Let‘s focus on what we have in common instead of our differences.“

Timm doesn‘t need to think, the words just flow out of him: „We should all fight to come closer together, to find solutions together, and to listen, regardless of someone‘s background. With statements like those from Friedrich Merz, all these efforts are undone.“ The issue deeply concerned him, which is why he spoke out publicly about it. Before that, he hadn‘t made much of an appearance on social media, he says. Hardly anyone knew him. The five million likes came almost entirely from people outside his circle.

Human rights lawyer, diplomat or startup entrepreneur

Louis Lazar Timm doesn‘t yet know exactly what he wants to become. For a long time, he dreamed of a diplomatic career; then, he considered becoming a human rights lawyer or going into politics. „I‘m now facing my first state examination,“ he reports. „And last year I founded a startup for sustainable pancakes with a friend. The topic of healthy nutrition also interests me very much. I would like to expand Cloudys.“

Timm would most like to revolutionize the nutrition market „with fun, coolness and love.“ In any case, there are „several more major projects“ coming up. For him, nutrition is a major key to health. „I learned a lot from my grandmother‘s example. She is 81 years old and wasn‘t doing well. But I‘ve been cooking for her every day for two months.“ As a result, his grandmother, who was overweight, already lost 20 kilos in that time.

This article was originally written and published on the 28th of October in German. It was translated in English with the use of Artificial Intelligence.