From Witness to Responsibility: What We Choose to Carry Forward by Gina Casalegno
Today’s reflection session offered time to pause and hear the thoughts of others on this journey we are walking with one another. Many personal narratives resonated with the disparate thoughts I jotted down in my notebook and that have been rattling around in the few quiet moments we’ve had over the past few days. I […]
What They Couldn’t Shout: Bearing Witness in Warsaw and Treblinka by Lauren Vales
On Monday morning, I found myself looking for historical markers of the Warsaw ghetto. There are several parts of the wall still standing, but this walk through the ghettos required me to imagine the conditions that existed. The ghetto was a section of a bustling city where in just 2.4% of the land thirty ( […]
In the Shadow of Tragedy, A Light of Hope by Joe Baker
Yesterday’s visit to Treblinka was a very emotional and meaningful experience. The memorials were very moving. In spite of the horrific events that occurred there, I was left with a feeling of hope when the young people read together and promised to keep the memory alive and to stand up to injustice. I was so […]
What Will We Accept? Power, Protest, and the Price of Silence by Christopher Meidl
Beginning at Clark Atlanta (a little disappointing because we couldn’t get onto the campus really as they were filming a Different World reunion show -although that is exciting). But the point being that Clark Atlanta, Spelman, and Morehouse students organized and joined the movement despite on-campus activities being unwanted by administration. Makes me think that […]
Rosa Parks Museum Reflection by Ashley Porter
Our CWB visit to the Rosa Parks Museum today was more powerful than I expected. The replica bus hit me and really helped me feel the weight of what transpired that day in 1955. What struck me most was how ordinary Rosa Parks seemed in the exhibits, just a tired everyday lady going home from […]
Highlights of the Journey by Lisa Feinman
I have been in Poland for almost 3 days and have already walked many miles around Warsaw, tasted some delicious traditional fare, met dozens of inspiring teachers, and visited museums, historical sites, and a death camp. It is a lot to take in and process and there are many more days ahead. Here are some […]
A Child in Stone: Memory, Survival, and the Quiet Victory of Family by Faina Linkov
As I stood before the Monument to the Ghetto Heroes in Warsaw, erected in 1948, a flood of uneasy thoughts rushed through my mind. The eastern side of the monument depicts Jewish men, women, and children being led to their deaths. Their faces show loss of hope and despair. Yet amid the sorrow, one figure […]
From Atlanta to Birmingham: A Teacher’s Reflections on History and Hope by Tony Bartolotta
As a teacher of AP US History, I have found the start of this tour absolutely fascinating. The material I am gathering for my future students is invaluable. At the Martin Luther King National Park, I found the reflecting pool and King gravesite very moving. I will be sharing with my students that the exhibit […]
Poland Reflection by Jim Newman
As a historian, I am moved by the courage and foresight of Emanuel Ringelblum to preserve the history and personal stories of those Jews confined in the Warsaw Ghetto during the German occupation of Warsaw from 1940 – 1944. Ringelblum organized a group of associates who dramatically saved documents, letters, official German records, and other primary […]