Legacy and Freedom by Kristina Rhoades
The door was heavy.Not with hinges—but with history. An ocean hit my face—not waves,but sorrow thick as air. Inside, silence screamed.Enslaved behind bars,children crying Momma,and no arms to reach them. Each step was grief,each name a woundetched in steel and soil. And still—the next day,we walked among sculptures,freedom cast in bronze, sculptures rising like breath. But […]
Forgiveness by Jennifer Lewis
Over the last 5 days, I have been exposed to horrific, traumatic, life altering acts but one message remains clear to me: HOPE. It is hope that gave individuals the strength to move beyond the senseless subjection to violence, endless beatings, the sense of constant fear. Fear of being beaten, fear of being raped, fear […]
In Their Names: Honoring the Women Who Paved the Way by Brittany McIntosh
First, I want to take a minute to recognize names. Names of women who have paved the way and are still paving the way to tell their story and the story of other women who sacrificed and made a difference for all black lives especially black women today. Michelle Browder Reverand Carolyn McKinstry Mrs. Annie […]
Formidable and Fearless: Honoring the Women Who Made Good Trouble by Marque Marry
Often times women throughout history are described as ‘the wife of’, delicate, or demure, and History books paint these women as dutiful and beautifully happy wives or daughters in a shining light. The books also inadvertently express that these are the women that others worked to emulate. While those women are important, and at times […]
“I will remember Heniek” by Elana Foster Kriess
It had been another physically and emotionally exhausting morning. They all are. We spent the morning touring the absolute horror that was the Majdanek concentration and extermination camp. By the time we reached the NN Theater in Lublin’s old town to hear the stories of what life was like pre-war for the Jews, I was […]
Art: An Act of Survival by Stefanie Vorrasi
As I travel through Poland, I am captivated by the art I encounter. Whether it’s portraits drawn on paper or sculptures carved from smuggled pieces of wood in labor camps, these creations are more than just expressions; they are acts of survival, quiet declarations of identity and humanity in the face of unimaginable cruelty. I […]
Poland Personally Blog by Peg Szczesniak
“I’m hot.” “I’m tired.” “I’m standing on an ant hill and being swarmed.” These thoughts combined in an odd blend in my mind with the fact that I was standing on hallowed ground. Admittedly, as those thoughts crossed my mind, so did some measure of shame. How many people in Treblinka or Majdanek or Auschwitz-Birkenau […]
From Testimony to Teaching: Walking the Path of Survival and Silence by Terri Alessio
As I sit on the bus staring at the outskirts of Kielce and heading towards Krakow, my heavy heart feels slightly complete. Last night, we were honored to be able to hear testimony from Howard Chandler, a Holocaust and Auschwicz survivor firsthand. As he told his personal testament, I hung onto every word. […]
Transformative Learning in the American South by Tony Bartolotta
On Tuesday of this week, our cohort had the absolute honor of hearing from a foot soldier that participated in the march from Selma. As a 14 year old girl that had been jailed several times already for protesting, Dr. Lynda Lowry decided to march to Montgomery after hearing a speech from Dr. Martin Luther […]