Spring Break
Existing genocide, racism examined at Holocaust luncheon
Kimberly Lien
Issue date: 4/24/07 Section: News
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With the last century, 150 to 200 million people have died from genocide and war, according to oral historian and activist Lani Silver.
As director of the James Byrd Jr. Racism Oral History Project, Silver conducted and collected approximately 2,500 interviews on racism in America.
James Byrd Jr. was a black man who was dragged through the streets of Jasper, Texas in 1998 by three white supremacists just because of the color of his skin.
"I think there's a crisis in society," Silver said, "where we're not learning the lessons of the Holocaust. We need to educate ourselves about what's happening in the world."
Silver said she believes racism to be the biggest problem in America today, because it has changed from overt bigotry to an invisible, hard to see, hard to recognize form.
Sandeep Pabla, a senior majoring in English, attended the luncheon partly because it was offered as an extra credit opportunity, but also because she has interest in learning about the Holocaust.
She is currently enrolled in a Holocaust literature class where she read books such as: "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl," "Night" and "Life with a Star."
A lack of knowledge is one of the reasons why Pabla said she believed genocides have continued to go on after the Holocaust.
"Events like this one can help people understand it better," Pabla said.
The topic of last Thursday's Genocide Holocaust Week luncheon - which Silver and Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights founding director John K. Roth spoke at - was "How can we create a world where 'Never Again' means never again?"
Hillel of Silicon Valley, the MOSAIC Cross Cultural Center and San Jose State University organized Genocide Holocaust Week to educate and inform the campus community about the tragedies of the Holocaust and other genocides.
"If you don't keep calling attention to it," Silver said, "then you've lost something valuable."
As director of the James Byrd Jr. Racism Oral History Project, Silver conducted and collected approximately 2,500 interviews on racism in America.
James Byrd Jr. was a black man who was dragged through the streets of Jasper, Texas in 1998 by three white supremacists just because of the color of his skin.
"I think there's a crisis in society," Silver said, "where we're not learning the lessons of the Holocaust. We need to educate ourselves about what's happening in the world."
Silver said she believes racism to be the biggest problem in America today, because it has changed from overt bigotry to an invisible, hard to see, hard to recognize form.
Sandeep Pabla, a senior majoring in English, attended the luncheon partly because it was offered as an extra credit opportunity, but also because she has interest in learning about the Holocaust.
She is currently enrolled in a Holocaust literature class where she read books such as: "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl," "Night" and "Life with a Star."
A lack of knowledge is one of the reasons why Pabla said she believed genocides have continued to go on after the Holocaust.
"Events like this one can help people understand it better," Pabla said.
The topic of last Thursday's Genocide Holocaust Week luncheon - which Silver and Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide and Human Rights founding director John K. Roth spoke at - was "How can we create a world where 'Never Again' means never again?"
Hillel of Silicon Valley, the MOSAIC Cross Cultural Center and San Jose State University organized Genocide Holocaust Week to educate and inform the campus community about the tragedies of the Holocaust and other genocides.
"If you don't keep calling attention to it," Silver said, "then you've lost something valuable."
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