Genocide Commemoration Day

What is genocide?

The term "genocide" originated during WWII by Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin and was adopted officially in 1948 by the United Nations in the Genocide Convention (UN).

Article I of the Genocide Convention states the following:

The Contracting Parties confirm that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and to punish. 

Article II of the Genocide Convention states the following:

In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

• Killing members of the group;
• Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
• Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
• Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
• Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

• the US Criminal Code defines genocide and provides the means to prosecute and punish perpetrators
• the Office of Global Criminal Justice coordinates US cooperation with international agencies
• the War Crimes Rewards Program offers a reward to anyone who provides information that leads to legal action for perpetrators of genocide or other crimes
• NPR recently reviewed the history of bringing war criminals to justice, including those charged with genocide: "From Nuremberg to Darfur, history has seen some war criminals brought to trial"

Use the links below to learn about ways you can take action.

• ADL: Take Action The ADL (Anti-Defamation League) is a non-governmental organization that uses comprehensive approaches to fighting hate and securing justice, including countering cyberhate, anti-bias education and law enforcement training. They have many informative resources and training programs that help in the fight against Anti-Semitism, Racism, and hate in all forms.
• NAPAWF Take Action  The NAPAWF (National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum) works to build a movement for social, political, and structural change for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women and girls. They work to create a safer, more just world for Asian Pacific American Women and their communities and have resources for you to help them reach their goals.
• UHRP Take Action The Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) promotes the rights of the Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim peoples in East Turkistan (referred to by the Chinese government as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region) through research-based advocacy.
• Support LGBTQ+ Rights and the passage of the Equality Act in the United States Congress: 
  • Read about the Equality Act at the Human Rights Campaign website.
  • GLSEN Take Action
• Check the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition Advocacy page for information.  In the past, we urged our elected officials to support a bill to establish a Truth and Healing Commission. Rep. Brad Schneider sent a letter in response to our plea from 2022, and he supported the bill, as did Sen. Dick Durbin.

• You can also simply call or contact your elected officials simply to express your concerns, to thank them for their leadership and support, or to ask them to take a particular action.  For example, in January 2023, the IL Holocaust Museum sent us an alert and a call for action concerning a red flag for genocide in Artsakh, Azerbaijan.  In response, Rep. Schneider cosponsored H.Res.108.

  • Senator Durbin 202.224.2152 (or submit letter online)

  • Senator Duckworth (202) 224-2854 (or submit letter online)

  • Rep. Schneider (202) 225-0837 (or submit letter online) 

Learn How To Be An Upstander

Check out this Speak Up At School Pocket Guide from Learning for Justice.

Check out these resources as well:

• the 5 D's of Bystander Intervention from Right To Be
• Bystander Intervention Trainings from Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago

Advice from Holocaust Survivors

The above YouTube clip is from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. In it, Holocaust survivors who volunteer at the Museum remind us of our responsibility in the face of hate. Closed-captioning on YouTube is enabled for this clip.

April 15, 2025

For the fifth year, we are hosting an all-District Genocide Commemoration Day.  At DHS, classes will be assigned to one of the keynote sessions, and then students will have options to build out the rest of their individual schedules, following their interests through the Learn, Remember and Take Action components of the programming.

This annual event is made possible through the generous sponsorship of the District 113 Foundation and a grant from the DHS PTO, as well as the support of the District 113 administration and Board of Education.  Special thanks to the Illinois Holocaust Museum for their guidance and support.

All-day programming in person and online

• Lest We Forget—This exhibit includes profiles of victims, survivors, rescuers and upstanders with connections to District 113.  The moving biographies, often told by family members and each with a photograph, will be on display on the windows and on showcases outside the Auditorium.  The collection can be viewed in our "Remember" section below.
• Bosnia/Srebrenica Genocide 30th Anniversary mini-museum—Visit the front hall during the week of Genocide Commemoration to view striking films, pictures, timelines and other information on the 1995 Srebrenica Genocide in Bosnia.  To preview, we suggest this source: Srebrenica Timeline of a Genocide.
• Rwanda Genocide mini-museum—This is a display we put up in 2024 and repeat this year to provide context for one of our keynote speakers, Kizito Kalima, who is a Rwanda Genocide Survivor.  Visit the front hall to view striking films and profiles of Survivors Kizito Kalima and Claire Mukundente and upstander Gary Bennett.  
• Armenian Genocide—2025 marks the 110th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.  Visit the front hall to see profiles of victims and survivors and to learn how the tragedy led to the recognition of "genocide" as a crime under international law.  
• "The Intent To Destroy In Whole Or In Part" This is part of Article II of the Genocide Convention, a key part of the definition of genocide.  We will have a display of documents that reveal the "intent" of perpetrators in various genocides since the 1800s.
• Wall of Names—This is a tribute to those whose lives were lost to genocide.  These gold-on-black panels have been part of our annual displays for many years now.  They hold representations of victims from various genocides and were inspired by the website and hashtag #TogetherWeRemember.
• Take Action Options—Our student team is working on compiling a variety of petitions on pending bills and other public policies, and we will have these both at our in-person displays and online; you can access these options under the "Take Action" section below and on Instagram.  
• Upstanders—stories of individuals and groups from right here at DHS to internationally recognized people who have made a difference and how; included is a display of a selection of people designated as Righteous Among the Nations, which connects to our lunchtime session (see details below)

Keynote Speaker Session Information

Social Studies teachers will tell their classes which of the two main sessions (periods 3, 7) they are assigned to attend.  In addition, students will be allowed to sign up to attend any of the other sessions, as space permits.  More information to come in your Social Studies classes the week before Spring Break.

3rd Period - Howard Reich, son of Holocaust Survivors (Performing Arts Center—10:31-11:28 am)

Reich will tell us about his mother’s story, as depicted in his book and film titled Prisoner of Her Past.  He will also tell us about the planned neo-Nazi march in Skokie in the late 1970s, which galvanized the community of Holocaust Survivors who lived there and led to the founding of the IL Holocaust Museum and Education Center. Special Note: WTTW will have its 15th annual broadcast the film Prisoner of Her Past at 2 p.m. on April 20, in honor of Yom Hashoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. It is also streaming on pbs.org. Read about this film and Mr. Reich's other work at his website.

7th Period - Kizito Kalima, Rwanda Genocide Survivor (Performing Arts Center—1:15-2:12 pm)

Mr. Kalima will tell us about the traumatic experience he endured during the genocide in 1994 and his journey to healing since that time.  Kalima will also tell us about the Peace Center for Forgiveness & Reconciliation, where he is Founder and Executive Director.  You can read about Mr. Kalima at the IL Holocaust Museum website and at the website of the Peace Center for Forgiveness & Reconciliation.

Smaller Sessions 

The Journey Back, a VR Experience—You will have the opportunity to use VR Goggles and take a walk through two documentaries that introduce the stories of Holocaust Survivors Fritzie Fritzshall and George Brent (who was our 2022 speaker). Through virtual reality, you will be transported to the places where they grew up and where they experienced the horrors of the Holocaust. Their stories have moments of compassion, of inspiration, and of profound sadness.  With A Promise Kept, journey to the notorious Auschwitz killing center and hear from Survivor Fritzie Fritzshall as she fulfills her promise to the 599 women who helped save her life. Don’t Forget Me bears witness to Survivor George Brent’s will to survive in the face of Nazi tyranny as he guides viewers through Auschwitz, Mauthausen, and Ebensee concentration camps.  The Journey Back, A VR Experience was created by Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center in collaboration with East City Films and made possible through the generous support of the Spagat Family.  (Library Yellow Room—all periods except during keynotes 3rd and 7th periods)

Film Screening: Skokie: Invaded But Not Conquered—a film about a proposed neo-Nazi march in Skokie that galvanized the large community of Holocaust Survivors, including the parents of Howard Reich, our 3rd period speaker (Performing Arts Center)  Here is the detailed description from PBS:  "Skokie: Invaded but not Conquered examines the personalities and issues connected to the attempted neo-Nazi march in Skokie in the late 1970s. The film makes extensive use of archival footage and contemporary interviews to reveal how a debate over First Amendment rights inspired Holocaust survivors to become activists, ultimately leading them to share their collective and individual histories..."  More information from Chicago’s PBS station, WTTW and in a 2013 article by Howard Reich in The Chicago Tribune.  (Homeroom + 2nd Period in the Performing Arts Center)

“How the Nazis Came to Power”—This will be a small, interactive seminar with Social Studies teachers Mrs. Quagliana and Mr. Schwartz, who will lead students in a review using documents, film clips and discussion. (2nd Period in either G109/111 or E116; space is limited)

"Righteous Among the Nations"—Get inspired by the many courageous people who risked their lives to save people from the Nazis’ genocidal plans—The Holocaust Education Center will lead this interactive webinar session.  This lesson looks at how “upstanders” across Europe helped save the lives of Jews. Case studies include Denmark’s “rescue by sea” of nearly all Danish Jews, the heroism of Irena Sendler in Warsaw, the diplomatic efforts of leaders like Chiune Sugihara, etc. The presentation ends with a virtual visit to the Garden of the Righteous at Yad Vashem. (E116, 11:40-12:30)

April 16, 2024

For the fourth year, we are hosting an all-District Genocide Commemoration Day.  At DHS, classes will be assigned to one or more of the keynote sessions, and then students will have options to build out the rest of their individual schedules, following their interests through the Learn, Remember and Take Action components of the programming.

All day programming in person and online

• Rwanda Genocide 30th Anniversary mini-museum - Visit the front hall during the week of Genocide Commemoration to view striking films and profiles of survivor Claire Mukundente and upstander Gary Bennett, and to explore what Americans knew about the genocide as it unfolded.  

• Wall of Names - This is a tribute to those whose lives were lost to genocide. These gold-on-black panels have been part of our annual displays for many years now.  They hold representations of victims from various genocides and were inspired by the website and hashtag #TogetherWeRemember. This year, we also added a separate display related to the Tree of Life session, honoring victims of recent tragedies at places of worship.

• Lest We Forget - This display includes profiles of victims, survivors, rescuers and upstanders with connections to District 113.  The moving biographies, often told by family members and each with a photograph, will be on display on the windows and on showcases outside the Auditorium. The collection can be viewed in our "Remember" section below.

• Take Action Options - Our student team is working on compiling a variety of petitions on pending bills and other public policies, and we will have these both at our in-person displays and online; you can access these options under the "Take Action" section below and on Instagram.  We also provided three sessions for students to learn upstander techniques (bystander intervention) through the ADL's Peer Influencer Training.

• Upstander Wall - with stories of individuals and groups from right here at DHS to internationally recognized people who have made a difference and how; this year, we have a new display of a selection of people designated as Righteous Among the Nations

Session Information

Social Studies teachers will tell their classes which of the three main sessions (periods 1, 3, 5) they are assigned to attend.  In addition, students will be allowed to sign up to attend any of the other main and smaller sessions, as space permits.  More information to come in your Social Studies classes the week before Spring Break.

1st Period - John Geiringer & Adam Weber, "The History of Genocide Under International Law" (Auditorium—8:10-9:07 am)

Based on work they have done co-teaching a course at Chicago Kent College of Law, Geiringer and Weber will discuss how the international laws meant to prevent and prosecute genocide were created and how they have been used in specific cases, such as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, where Mr. Weber served as prosecutor.

3rd Period - Holocaust Survivor Ida Paluch Kersz (Auditorium—10:31-11:28 am)

Kersz will tell us about her life before, during and after WWII.  You can read Kersz’s story or hear her on a new podcast at the IL Holocaust Museum.

5th Period - Dr. Danny M. Cohen (Auditorium—1:15-2:12 pm)

Dr. Danny M. Cohen is Professor of History and serves as co-chair of the IL Holocaust and Genocide Commission.  In this immersive, interactive learning experience, Prof. Cohen will center our common humanity as we consider the physical and emotional impacts of genocide for those who have endured the Holocaust, the Rwanda Genocide and other horrors, and also for those of us who learn about and thus bear witness and the burden of carrying those stories and images.

Smaller Sessions 

How to Handle Hate & Antisemitism on College Campuses and Beyond—GCD has been tracking hate on college campuses for many years, and tensions continue to rise, which relates to the foundations of what the ADL describes as the "pyramid of hate."  This panel of university students and representatives from local and campus support organizations will introduce you to the knowledge and skills to manage situations you may encounter at college and beyond.  (4-I in E114 - please note the change)

A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting—Survivors & Allies on Healing Hate—In this film screening, you will hear from the survivors of the Tree of Life Synagogue tragedy and the Muslim and African American allies who came together to fight for love, not hate.  **After the screening, we will be joined live on screen by one the people featured in the film. (2nd Period in E114)

Upstander/Bystander Intervention Trainings — DHS Peer Influencers, trained by the ADL, will lead this interactive session. (Periods 2, 4 and 6 in the Library Classroom)

One Survivor's Story — Immerse yourself in the story of one survivor, Charlotte Raunheim, the great grandmother of a current DHS student, Milo Shapiro (DHS '26), who will be there to share family photos and a recorded interview produced by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.  Transcripts will be available, if you would like to follow along. (Periods 2 & 6 in E116)

Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance) & Genocide Commemoration Day — April 18, 2023

For the third year, we are hosting an all-District Genocide Commemoration Day, commemorating Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) with special programming.  At DHS, the student team wanted to fill the whole day and offer students options to build their own individual schedules, following their interests through the Learn, Remember and Take Action components of the in-person and online experiences.

All day programming in person and online

• Wall of Names - This is a tribute to those whose lives were lost to genocide.  These gold-on-black panels have been part of our annual displays for many years now.  They hold representations of victims from various genocides and were inspired by the website and hashtag #TogetherWeRemember.

• Lest We Forget - This display includes profiles of victims, survivors, rescuers and upstanders with connections to District 113.  The moving biographies, often told by family members and each with a photograph, will be on display on the windows and on showcases outside the Auditorium.  The collection can be viewed in our "Remember" section below.

• Hate Today - With the rise of antisemitism and other hate incidents, our student team felt it was important to once again put up both the College Campus Hate display and the interactive ADL H.E.A.T. map. Three of our sessions (ADL’s David Goldenberg, Peggy Shapiro of Stand With Us, and our very own Peer Influencers) will reference such incidents and how to deal with them, should you find yourself as a target or a bystander. You can view resources and learn how to combat hate in our "Hate Today" section below webpage.

• Take Action Options - Our student team is working on compiling a variety of petitions on pending bills and other public policies, and we will have these both at our in-person displays and online; you can access these options under the "Take Action" section below and on Instagram.  We also provided two sessions for students to learn upstander techniques through the ADL's Peer Influencer Training.

• Upstander Wall - with stories of individuals and groups from right here at DHS to internationally recognized people who have made a difference and how

• A Forgotten Genocide — 100 years since the Smyrna Catastrophe (Genocide of Greeks, Assyrians and Armenians)

• “Actually, they came first for the Disabled” - a display about people with disabilities in the Holocaust and connections to the US eugenics movement

• Early Warning Signs of Genocide in Ukraine & Artsakh, Azerbaijan - see the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention for the latest

• Americans and the Holocaust - We originally put up this display in one of the first years of the GCD program; we return to it this year to accompany the 1st period speaker, Dr. Daniel Greene, who will highlight his work on the original exhibition at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the book that resulted, and his work advising and appearing in the latest documentary from PBS, The US and the Holocaust.

• Update on Native Americans - In 2022, we studied the use of boarding schools as a form of cultural genocide, and we emphasized education as a tool to help the healing process.  This display will serve as an update and continued commitment to learning and to offering guidance for those who wish to take action.

• Timeline of Mexica
• Follow Us On Instagram 

Session Information, Detailed Speaker Biographies, Photos & Video Recordings

We will update this page with images and links to the video recordings as soon as they are available.

1st Period - Dr. Daniel Greene (Auditorium—8:10-9:07 am)

Daniel Greene (Highland Park High School Class of 1991) has been President and Librarian of the Newberry Library since 2019, where he had also served as Vice President for Research and Academic Programs and Director of the Dr. William M. Scholl Center for American History and Culture.  Greene curated Americans and the Holocaust, an exhibition that opened in April 2018 at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. Greene co-edited (with Edward Phillips) Americans and the Holocaust: A Reader (published in 2022). The exhibition also inspired The U.S. and the Holocaust, a documentary film directed by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, and Sarah Botstein that aired on PBS in September 2022. Greene served as an advisor and appeared in the film. In his presentation, Greene will show segments of the film and discuss the process of working with the filmmakers to document this important angle into the history of the Holocaust.  (This profile courtesy of the Newberry Library)

2nd Period - Professor Valentina Kuryliw (Auditorium—9:29-10:26 am)

Ms. Kuryliw will be joining us from Canada via Zoom, projected onto the screen.  Students will have the opportunity to ask questions via a Google Form.

A historian and retired teacher with over 40 years of experience, Ms. Valentina Kuryliw has dedicated her life to education. For over 16 years, Ms. Kuryliw has spent her summers volunteering in order to offer additional qualification courses for history teachers in Ukraine, focusing on teaching history using critical thinking skills and interactive methods.  She wrote a textbook that is used for training teachers in institutes and universities in Ukraine.  Ms. Kuryliw has been the Chair of the National Holodomor Education Committee of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress since 2009, and was recently appointed Director of the Holodomor Research and Education Consortium (HREC). Ms. Kuryliw has conducted In-Service Teacher Training sessions across Canada on the Holodomor and Internment for professional organizations and school boards, spending years developing Holodomor teaching materials, including a Teaching Kit and Workbook for educators in Canada.  (This profile courtesy of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, photograph Wikipedia)

3rd Period - Eric Blaustein (Auditorium—10:31-11:28 am)

Eric was 6 years old in 1933 when the Nazi party entered his town of Chemnitz in Saxony (Eastern Germany).  He was from a middle class family, and things remained normal for them until 1938.  His family stayed in Germany, and in 1940, Eric’s father joined the Underground in another city.  At age 15, Eric became a grave digger.  Soon after, he went into open hiding – using papers that said he was a Hitler Youth.  He was arrested in September of 1944, as a suspected deserter of the German Army.  He confessed that he was Jewish, and not a German soldier, and was immediately sent to Buchenwald.  Upon entering Buchenwald, he swapped identities with an Italian inmate who had died, leaving behind his identity as Eric Blaustein and becoming a man named Luigi. He served as a laborer in the camp for five months, until he was liberated from a satellite camp of Buchenwald.  His entire family had survived the Holocaust. In 1948, he moved to Israel and fought in the War of Independence. This is also where he met his wife.  Eric came to the United States in 1954 and now lives near his daughter and grandchildren in Lombard, IL.  (This profile courtesy of the IL Holocaust Museum and Education Center)

4th Period - Violins of Hope (Auditorium—11:33am-12:40pm)

This session will feature both a presentation by Violins of Hope and performances by DHS students, who will be playing on these very precious instruments.

Israeli violin makers, Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein, have spent the last 20 years collecting and repairing 70 Holocaust-era violins and other stringed instruments from around the world, some with the Star of David on the back and others with names and dates inscribed within the instrument. Together, they have lovingly located and restored the violins to reclaim their lost heritage, give voice to the victims and reinforce essential messages of hope, harmony, and humanity.  Violins of Hope has been featured in books, print, film and television. They have been used in lectures and educational programs worldwide, exhibited in museums, and have been triumphantly played in concert halls around the globe. Through performances, exhibitions, and educational series, the instruments have impacted and inspired hundreds of thousands of people of all ages with a message of hope, resistance, resilience, and unity. (This profile courtesy of the JCC Chicago)  (This session runs from 11:33 am - 12:40 pm.  You may not bring food into the Auditorium, but you will be excused at 12:40 for your lunch period.

• see Chicago Tribune article "Violins from the Holocaust Arrive in Chicago" (13 April 2023)
• see this WGN story by Erin Ivory, who visited DHS to capture students, such as Abby Izaks (DHS class of 2024, whose great grandparents were Holocaust Survivors) playing the instruments, and Holocaust Survivor Eric Blaustein's reaction to watching the instruments be played

4th Period - Behind the Swastika: Where Hatreds Meet (E114—11:40am-12:25pm)

Opening with the genocide committed by Germany in Namibia, the lesson traces how the genocidal worldview of Nazism led to the Holocaust. Hitler’s admiration for U.S. Jim Crow laws and “Manifest Destiny” are also discussed, as is how the Nazis dehumanized and demonized Jewish people and Black people alike.  Presented by the Holocaust Education Center from Stand With Us. (This session runs from 11:40-12:25.  You may bring your lunch to E114.)

4th Period - Upstander/Bystander Intervention Training (G109—12:13-1:10pm)

DHS Peer Influencers, trained by the ADL, will lead this interactive session.  This session is repeated during other periods; interested students should only sign up once.  (This session runs from 12:13-1:10.  You may bring your lunch to G109.)

5th Period - David Goldenberg (Auditorium—1:15-2:12pm)

David Goldenberg is a member of the District 113 community and serves as Regional Director of the Midwest regional office of the ADL.  He has a background in advocacy, policy, engagement and philanthropy.  In the past, he has also worked as an associate staff member of the House Committee on Rules, staff director of the House Subcommittee on Legislative and Budget Process and co-staff director of the Democratic Israel Working Group.  He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago (JUF) and also serves on the Illinois State Treasurer’s Community Advisory Council and JFNA’s National Young Leadership Cabinet.  (This profile courtesy of the ADL Chicago)

6th Period - Gualberto Vilchis (Auditorium—2:17-3:14pm)

Gualberto Vilchis lives in Mexico and visits family here in the Chicago area often.  He is a gifted storyteller, whose passion for the history of the Aztecs has inspired him to join us today.  Mexico City used to be Tenochtitlan. The city where the Aztecs settled. Gualberto is Aztec on his father’s side, with his grandfather being Aztec and his grandmother from Tlaxcala. Gualberto has in-depth knowledge and first-hand culture of the Aztecs. He is very dedicated to sharing the story of his ancestors to ensure it isn’t forgotten. The Aztecs were a beautiful culture before the Spanish colonization and genocide, and in his speech, Gualberto will talk about how the world was in 1600, the cultures in Mexico, how the Aztecs came to rule Mexico, the destruction of Aztec culture and genocide by Spanish colonizers, his personal family history, and a couple of Aztec legends.  (This profile courtesy of the Vilchis family)

6th Period - “One Story Multiplied by 6 Million” & How to Deal With Antisemitism (E116—2:17-3:14pm)

Peggy Shapiro will tell a compelling personal story and connect it to how we can recognize and combat antisemitism in daily life and in spaces like college campuses.  Peggy Shapiro is the National Director of Special Projects for Stand With Us. A child of Holocaust survivors born in a displaced persons camp, she was one of the founding members of the Midwest Association of Children of Holocaust Survivors and the International Second Generation Association. She was appointed as special adviser to the president of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council by Elie Wiesel and served as the annual chairperson for the Elie Wiesel lecture series in Chicago for 26 years. Prior to her role in Stand With Us, she served as chairperson of the Foreign Language/ESL Department at the City Colleges of Chicago and professor for 31 years.  (This profile courtesy of the Jewish News Syndicate and Times of Israel)

For the second year, we had an all-District Genocide Commemoration Day.

All day programming in person and online

• Reading of Biographies at the start of each period
• Dimensions in Testimony - This is an interactive experience in which you see and can interact with a hologram of a Holocaust survivor, asking questions and getting real-time responses. It is generously hosted by the IL Holocaust Museum and Education Center (created by the USC Shoah Foundation).
• Wall of Names - These representations of victims from various genocides are displayed outside the DHS auditorium. #TogetherWeRemember
• Holocaust Survivor Poster Series - At HPHS, there will be a traveling poster exhibit of Holocaust Survivors, provided by the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center.
• Lest We Forget - This display was put up outside the DHS Auditorium and can be viewed in our "Remember" section below. It includes profiles of victims, survivors, rescuers and upstanders with connections to District 113.
• Indian Boarding Schools - This display was put up in the DHS front hall; we compiled many resources, some of which can be viewed on our "American Indians" section below.
• College Campus Hate - We printed and displayed these DHS alumni experiences at various places across DHS for effect. You can view the collection in our "Hate Today" section below.
• Take Action Options - We provided many options for people to sign petitions to urge elected officials to take action on pending bills, both at our in-person displays and online; you can access these options under the "Take Action" section below.  We also provided two sessions for students to learn upstander techniques through the ADL's Peer Influencer Training.

Speakers - biographies and recordings

Speaker Session 1 - Dr. Brenda J. Child

Brenda J. Child is Northrop Professor of American Studies at the University of Minnesota and former chair of the Departments of American Studies and the Department of American Indian Studies. She is the author of award-winning books about American Indian history, including Boarding School Seasons: American Indian Families, 1900-1940, (1998), which won the North American Indian Prose Award; Holding Our World Together: Ojibwe Women and the Survival of Community, (2012), and a book for children, Bowwow Powwow (2018), which won the American Indian Youth Literature Award for best picture book. She served as a member of the board of trustees of the National Museum of the American Indian-Smithsonian and was President of the Native American & Indigenous Studies Association. Child was born on the Red Lake Ojibwe Reservation in northern Minnesota where she served as a member of a committee writing a new constitution for the 12,000-member nation.  (See full profile at the University of Minnesota website and this Aug 2021 article.)