Last week, I got an email from Smithsonian to remind me that Juneteenth is comeing up. And also to give me a link to the NMAA site with history and other information about the day. Even if you have been celebrating it for years, there may be something you can still learn about it – or some detail you may have forgotten. Then, yesterday, I got the email that Heather Cox Richardson has just finished a book to be released mid-September. In her words, it “tries to explain how we got to this political moment.” That’s all I know about the publication details. She does comment that the writing process caused her to rethink a good deal and end up changing her thesis – probably not n uncommon experience for any writer.
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SPLC – Pride Month a Time to Honor History by Challenging Anti-LGBTQ+ Movement
Quote – Pride Month is more than a time to reflect on Stonewall and the other protests that helped solidify the LGBTQ+ movement and push the world to rethink its prejudices against the community. It’s a time to look at the current threats and challenges to the movement. Now, as then, LGBTQ+ people are under attack. Across the nation, conservative state legislators and governors have adopted draconian restrictions on speech, assembly, education, health care and other matters – all in an attempt to violently force LGBTQ+ people back into the closet. Click through for the full article. I personally don’t think the haters are trying to force people back into closets. I think they are trying to exterminate them. And, yes, I’m starting the month late. Apologies.
Children’s Defense Fund – Childhood Watch Column – “The Mindless Menace of Violence”
Quote – [The day after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated,] Robert Kennedy continued: “When you teach a man to hate and fear his brother, when you teach that he is a lesser man because of his color or his beliefs or the policies he pursues, when you teach that those who differ from you threaten your freedom or your job or your family, then you also learn to confront others not as fellow citizens but as enemies—to be met not with cooperation but with conquest, to be subjugated and mastered. We learn, at the last, to look at our brothers as aliens, men with whom we share a city, but not a community, men bound to us in common dwelling, but not in common effort. We learn to share only a common fear—only a common desire to retreat from each other—only a common impulse to meet disagreement with force.” Click through for the rest of the column. Not only have we not fixed this, we have allowed it to get increasingly worse. I would point out that the key word is “teach” – and that we have lost any control we ever had over education. It’s futile to say “If he had only lived.” But who can help thinking it?
Colorado Public Radio – Meet the 28 working mothers of the first graduating class from Denver Public Schools’ new community hubs
Quote – The 28 women, all mothers, took part in a special graduation ceremony Saturday. They are the first graduating class from Denver Public Schools’ community hubs. DPS opened the six family resource centers last fall to help with child care, food, language classes, and GED diplomas…. The idea behind the hubs is to empower parents to be role models for their children as lifelong learners…. “We launched this program because there was a need in our community, and it’s helping,” DPS Superintendent Alex Marrero told the graduates. “You should be standing a bit taller today, feeling more excited about what’s in store for you. That is a powerful thing.” Click through for article. This may seem petty, considering how much damage Lauren Boebert has done on larger stages, but I really, really resent her for the way she has reinforced the already unfair disrepute in which the GED is held by people who hold more conventional diplomas. I’ve worked with the GED, which means I have met and worked with those who have taken it. and I am a big fan. Even if those taking it need it bcause they dropped out of high school for some stupid and/or selfish reason, that isn’t who they are now. (And many didn’t, but faced hardships most of us can barely imagine.) They want to learn. They want to improve their ability to support their families (or even just themselves.) They want to “be all they can be.” And what’s wrong with that? What’s wrong with wanting – and working – to “better yourself”? Plenty who finish high school never reach that level of self-awareness. (OK, end of rant.)
Yesterday, there was a “tornadic thunderstorm” in our general area. It was reported as 30-some miles north of Colorado Springs and moving north/northwest (I am just south of Colorado Springs’ southern city limit.) No threat to me, but I had not heard the term “tornadic thunderstorm” before. It’s quite evocative. Our summer thunderstorms often bring hail, and they mentioned quarter-sized hail (which is not going to break any windshields.) The Weather Service announcement didn’t say so, but, looking at Weather Underground, there may be more tomorrow. I tend to stay indoors anyway, and yesterdat was not (and today will not) be exceptions. Also, if you haven’t read aboout the Biden-McCarthy-Schumer-McConnel meeting and want to, Heather Cox Richardson has it covered.
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Stuff That Needs to Be Said – Teachers Are Superheroes
Quote (from the email) – Five years ago I wrote a blog post called Teachers are Superheroes. I spoke from a place of deep gratitude and awe for the teachers I see in action every day—in my community, and in the lives of my own children. I wrote about the challenges they face and the burdens they bear. Little did I know that five years later those burdens would be so much heavier and the threats to them so much more coordinated and serious. Click through for original column from 2018. This is Teacher Appreciation Week. His explanatory email also provided ideas for concrete ways to support teachers IRL:
* Volunteer your time at local schools to take some of the burdens from overworked teachers.
* Donate supplies so teachers don’t have to use their personal resources in order to serve their students.
* Attend school board meetings and help offer dissenting voices to the increasingly incendiary Conservative presence there to intimidate.
* Vote in school board elections. Do your research and help elect candidates who are champions of public education and advocates for teachers.
* Publicly advocate for funding for teachers and their schools.
* Join or support local teacher organizations.
* Show gratitude to local teachers with cards, gift cards, movie tickets, and spa certificates.
* Spread awareness on social media to help people understand the threats and the adversity that teachers are experiencing.
* Form a parent advocacy group whose job it is to serve as a watchdog for school policies and practices that undermine teachers.
CPR News – We’re publishing a series about tobacco in Colorado. Here’s why
Quote – Tobacco is the number one cause of preventable and premature death in Colorado.
Read that again. Tobacco kills the most Coloradans. Not opioids, not guns, not car crashes — not even COVID-19. Every year, more than 5,000 people die because of their own habits. And yet, no one is talking about it. It’s rarely in the headlines. Click through for the story. It’s not like we don’t have our share of guns – and it’s arguable that Columbine started it – and yet, tobacco is deadlier still. There’s a link to the first episode, which is already out. I’ve been remarkably lucky for a former smoker (of course I’ve been free for 47 years this month) but I’m well aware of the possible consequences.
Yesterday, as I usually do on Mondays, I slept even later tnan usual. When I got up, I did a few personal things, then turned to my email. and immediately saw that Grace Bumbry had died. I assure you thre are better ways to start a day. Of course, the loss of a diva (or a divo) whom I admired enough to buy vinyl of (and I was very picky when I was doing that) is just going to happen to me more and more. And, although she is gone, her achievements, including the trailblazing she did, remain and will continue to be built upon. But there sre still better ways to start a day. I did do the Name Drop, and it was someone I had heard of (it isn’t always), but I cetainly never would have known that from the first clue, as I had no idea he had served at the Battle of Lepanto, and on the way home been captured by pirates and held for five years, and the second clue was also obscure. But on the third clue I figured out the dude was from La Mancha (and it was the referenced musical which gave that away.) I’m really not a competetive person (except with myself – I always want to learn and improve) – and that’s why I’m drawn to Name Drop. I almost always learn something, even if it’s not terribly useful. And if Cervantes was a veteran of one of the most important conflicts in history, and a POW, so to speak, for 5 years, that deserves to be remembered.
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The 19th – Kimberlé Crenshaw’s work was cut from AP African American Studies. Now she’s fighting back
Quote – Crenshaw [led] the “Freedom to Learn” national day of action [last] Wednesday to protest rising censorship in schools. The day of demonstration includes rallies, book readings, teach-ins and live virtual events. The goal is to build a coalition — now including civil rights groups, Black Greek-letter organizations, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association — that advocates for inclusive learning….. The “Freedom to Learn” national day of action stems from an open letter that scholars and their allies sent to the College Board, urging it to preserve the integrity of AP African American Studies by not eliminating from the course “divisive concepts” and works by academics including Crenshaw, Roderick Ferguson and the late bell hooks. In April, the College Board announced that it would make changes to AP African American Studies over the next few months, but it is uncertain if it will restore the pilot curriculum. Click through for article and interview. On the one hand, if anyone should be for education without political bias, it’s the College Board. On the other hand, exactly because it’s a private organization, little can be done to force it to live up to standards, even its own.
Fox 31 – Stolen Colorado tiny house found at Kansas grain elevator
Quote – Hamilton County Sheriff Michael Wilson said the Colorado State Patrol notified his office Sunday evening to be on the lookout for a tiny house and that it was possibly headed toward Coolidge. It had been taken from a farm in Otero County, Colorado…. The sheriff said the men also allegedly had a stolen trailer and a Bobcat. He said the suspects are being held in jail on suspicion of possession of stolen property. The tiny house is valued at $9,000. The sheriff said the $33,000 Bobcat was stolen out of Castle Rock, Colorado, and the $25,000 trailer is from Florida. Click through for details. Yes, this is from a Fox affiliate. But the keywords are “affliate” and “local.” One of the most maddening things about Fox, IMO, is that the affiliates generally have sound news departments with accurate local news. Unfortunately, this tends to validate all of Fox in weak minds.
Yesterday, the radio opera was “Der Rosenkavalier,” by Richard Strauss. The hosts described it as a “poignant comefy,” which is probably as good a description as any. It’s very long, and the plot is too convoluted to try to summarize, even leaving out all the “life is what happens while you are making other plans” distractions (and there are many). But I can say that it involves a young man who is having an affair with an older woman, and also an older man (with little if any class) wanting to marry a young girl,”fresh from the convent.” I cannot think of another opera – or book, or play, or mavie, or anything – where the oler woman is not the butt of the comedy, but is presented with dignity,while the older man is comedically taken to the cleaners. It’s no wonder that divas are drawn to this role – as one host said, “She’s really the only adult in the story.” When I think this was written in 1911, by a male librettist and a male composer, I’m just in awe. At the same time, I am deeply impressed by the sheer number of women conductors the Met is featuring thos season. There have been a few women conductors in previous seasons – usually when the opera’s composer has pushed for it. Philip Glass, for example, is adamant that Karen Kamensik is the best conductor of his work ever. And another contemporary opera, “L’Amour de Loin,” was conducted by a woman insisted on by the composer. But this season, it just seems there’s a different woman conductor like every other week. And it hasn’t really been that long since an orchestral musician (IIRC in Vienna) told JoAnn Falletta that he wished he had died before being conducted by a woman. Opera has always given me joy, but what is happening now in the genre is adding to that exponentially.
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The 19th – Houston public schools have a diverse, nearly all-women school board. A state takeover would oust them from office.
Quote – News that the state plans to install a board of managers to run Houston public schools has been met with public outcry, protests and legal complaints. Some are concerned that the school board appointees who will replace the trustees voters elected won’t represent the interests of the school district’s racially diverse constituents. Morath was put into place by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who has backed school vouchers, book bans, restrictions on diversity, equity and inclusion in hiring and other policies critics say undermine public education. Click through for story. If Texas had a rational Governor (and legislature), I would be able to see both sides of this. But no, it is infested with Republicans. I suspect the 19th is viewing this from the same angle from which I am.
The Daily Beast – Expelled Tennessee Rep’s Friend Was Shot Dead—Then Set Ablaze
Quote – On Pearson’s second day in office, the whole world focused on horrific video released by the Memphis police showing multiple officers fatally beating Tyre Nichols. Pearson was a leading voice in the ensuing protests, but he did not forget [Larry] Thorn. He still took time to check on [Thorn’s mother, Lavonda] Henderson. And he joined the family and other friends who gathered in late March at the boarded-up church where the burnt body had been found, cellphone and wallet gone, car parked two blocks away. “He has been really there, really there,” Henderson said of Pearson. “It’s amazing.” Click through for background. It’s not really necessary to have personal experience with gun death to be emotionally involved in wanting gun reform. But how much more emotinally involved one would be with personal experience than without it. Even once – let alone twice within a few months.
Yesterday, things seemed to go very slowly. There wasn’t much email (though there was some of interest.) I have had a runny nose for the last few days; without going into gross detail, I can say that it didn’t seem to maych CoViD symptoms at all, but it’s always better to have accurate knowledge. So I administered a rapid test (the ones the government sent for free) and you’ll all be happy to know it was absolutely negative. (If there is one thing I am good at, it’s following directions, expecially clear ones, which these were.) I also looked at old March cartoons, and found that I only will need to make six – one early in the month, 4 around the 15th, and one near the end of the month. So I’ll get off easy. Also, yes, I did see that Jimmy Carter has decided to go into hospice care at home rather than be going in and out of hospital, and who can blame him. I found a link to send well wishes – you have to write your own. And then there’s this.
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PolitiZoom – INCOMING! Trump Is Taking Friendly Fire From His Own Foot Soldiers
Quote – No [expletive deleted]. [Friday} in federal court in Washington DC, in the Proud Boys sedition trial, at least some of the Boys are claiming that it’s Trump who belongs on trial, not them. After all, he was the President, and he called them to DC and gave them their marching orders. And then the lawyer fired off a full clip at His Lowness by announcing that he was planning on subpoenaing Trump to testify on his client’s behalf. Click through for some detail. This is going to be interesting – and sad. For those who inexplicably confuse Trump** with Jwsus, I have a quote that seems likely to me in this situation: “Depart from me, I never knew you.”
Children’s Defense Fund – New Dangerous Assaults on Teaching the Truth
Quote – In his seminal book The Mis-Education of the Negro, Dr. Woodson also explained that providing a standard “mis-education” to young Black children in the school system—“the thought of the inferiority of the Negro is drilled into him in almost every class he enters and in almost every book he studies” was a calculated and insidious attack: “When you control a man’s thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his ‘proper place’ and will stay in it. You do not need to send him to the back door. He will go without being told. In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his special benefit. His education makes it necessary.” Decades later, James Baldwin put a similar insight in sharp words that resonate right now: “It’s not the world that was my oppressor, because what the world does to you, if the world does it to you long enough and effectively enough, you begin to do to yourself. You become a collaborate, an accomplice of your own murderers, because you believe the same things they do.” Click through for full article. Likewise, when Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. was making a documentary on “Africa’s Great Civilizations,” and he first saw the Library of Timbuktu, he literally wept, because all his life he had been taught that “Black people never wrote anything.” I think the snowflakes in this dialog are all white, as indeed snowflakes generally are.
Experts in autocracies have pointed out that it is, unfortunately, easy to slip into normalizing the tyrant, hence it is important to hang on to outrage. These incidents which seem to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with them will, I hope, help with that. As a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. These roughly translate as “unceasing,” “grudging,” and “vengeful destruction.”
Holocaust Remembrance Day was this week. The present day is a time in which Holocaust denial is at an all-time high (and trending higher.) I’m reminded of a remark by C. S. Lewis, that we often fall into the error of thinking of a societal change as a moral improvement (or the reverse) when in fact is is merely a change in common knowledge. For instance, some people think we are better than our ancestors because we no longer kill witches. But that is because we no longer believe witches exist. If we still believed that there were people who had teamed up with the devil to do as much harm as possible, we might well agree that, if anyone deserved the death penalty, these traitors to humanity did.
So it is critical, in order to be a good person, to be knowledgeable about facts, and not to believe lies. The number and the nature of deaths we have experienced from CoVid demonstrates that convincingly – to anyone who knows the facts. The suggestions here are valid for anyone who does not want to be deceived, and for educators who do not want their students to be deceived.
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Combating antisemitism today: Holocaust education in the era of Twitter and TikTok
Technology is increasingly important in Holocaust education – seen here in ‘The Journey Back’ within The Richard and Jill Chaifetz Family Virtual Reality Gallery at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center. Courtesy of the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, CC BY-NC-ND
In the era of social media, antisemitism and Holocaust denial are no longer hidden in the margins, spewed by fringe hate groups. From Ye – formerly known as Kanye West – and NBA player Kyrie Irving to members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, well-recognized personalities have echoed antisemitic ideas, often online.
Beyond high-profile figures, there are clear signs that antisemitism is becoming more mainstream. In 2021, using the most recent data available, the Anti-Defamation League reported that antisemitic incidents in the U.S. reached an all-time high. Eighty-five percent of Americans believe at least one anti-Jewish trope, according to another ADL survey, and about 20% believe six or more tropes – a sharp increase from just four years before. In addition, Jewish college students increasingly report feeling unsafe, ostracized or harassed on campus.
Rather than teaching the Holocaust as an isolated event, educators must grapple with how it connects to antisemitism past and present. That means adapting to how people learn and live today: online.
Toxic information landscape
The online ecosystem where today’s antisemitism flourishes is a Wild West of information and misinformation that is largely unmonitored, distributed in an instant, and posted by anyone. Social media posts and news feeds are frequently filtered by algorithms that narrow the content users receive, reinforcing already held beliefs.
According to a 2022 report by the United Nations, 17% of public TikTok content related to the Holocaust either denied or distorted it. The same was true of almost 1 in 5 Holocaust-related Twitter posts and 49% of Holocaust content on Telegram.
An emerging danger is artificial intelligence technology. New AI resources offer potential teaching tools – but also the menace of easily spread and unmonitored misinformation. For example, character AI and Historical Figures Chat allow you to “chat” with a historical figure, including those associated with the Holocaust: from victims like Holocaust diarist Anne Frank to perpetrators such as Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler’s minister of propaganda.
These sites come with warnings that characters’ responses could be made up and that users should check for historical accuracy, but it is easy to be misled by inaccurate answers.
Another potential AI hazard is deepfake videos. Media experts are warning about the potential for destabilizing “truth decay,” the inability to know what is real and what is fake, as the amount of synthetic content multiplies. Holocaust scholars are preparing to combat how historical sources and educational materials may be manipulated by deepfakes. There is particular concern that deepfakes will be used to manipulate or undercut survivors’ testimony.
Media literacy
Much of my scholarship tackles contemporary approaches to teaching the Holocaust – for example, the need to rethink education as the number of Holocaust survivors who are still able to tell their stories rapidly declines. Addressing today’s toxic information landscape presents another fundamental challenge that requires innovative solutions.
As a first step, educators can promote media literacy, the knowledge and skills needed to navigate and critique online information, and teach learners to approach sources with both healthy criticism and an open mind. Key strategies for K-12 students include training them to consider who is behind particular information and what evidence is provided and to investigate the creators of an unknown online source by seeing what trusted websites say about its information or authors.
Media literacy also entails identifying a source’s author, genre, purpose and point of view, as well as reflecting on one’s own point of view. Finally, it is important to trace claims, quotes and media back to the original source or context.
Applying these skills to a Holocaust unit might focus on recognizing the implicit stereotypes and misinformation online sources often rely on and paying attention to who these sources are and what their purpose is. Lessons can also analyze how social media enablesHolocaust denial and investigate common formats for online antisemitism, such as deepfake videos, memes and troll attacks.
Learning in the digital age
Holocaust educators can also embrace new technologies, rather than just lament their pitfalls. For example, long after survivors die, people will be able to “converse” with them in museums and classrooms using specially recorded testimonies and natural language technology. Such programs can match a visitor’s questions with relevant parts of prerecorded interviews, responding almost as though they were talking to the visitor in person.
There are also immersive virtual reality programs that combine recorded survivor testimonies with VR visits to concentration camps, survivors’ hometowns and other historical sites. One such exhibition is “The Journey Back” at the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center. Not only can VR experiences transport viewers to such sites in a more realistic way than traditional lessons, but they also allow learners to partially decide how to interact with the virtual environment. In interviews for my current research, viewers report Holocaust VR experiences make them feel emotionally engaged with a survivor.
Society’s ‘family tree’
People often learn about themselves by exploring their family trees, examining heirlooms passed down from ancestors and telling stories around the dinner table – helping people make sense of who they are.
The same principle applies to understanding society. Studying the past provides a road map of how people and prior events shaped today’s conditions, including antisemitism. It is important for young people to understand that antisemitism’s horrific history did not originate with the Holocaust. Lessons that lead students to reflect on how indifference and collaboration fueled hate – or how everyday people helped stop it – can inspire them to speak up and act in response to rising antisemitism.
Holocaust education is not a neutral endeavor. As survivor and scholar Elie Wiesel said when accepting his 1986 Nobel Peace Prize, “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.”
============================================================== Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, I’m confident that techniques like these will work – if they are used. My concern is that too much education in America (and quite possibly elsewhere, but I can’t speak to that) is in the hands of people whi emphatically do not want students to know the truth. I fear that these techniques will (to paraphrase Chesterton) not be tried and found wanting, but will be found diffucult and left untried.
Forgive me for a little rant here on a pet peeve of mine. I am well aware that when someone uses the phrase “It’s all about the Benjamins,” they are referring to Benjamin Franklin, whose face appears on our $100 bill, currently the largest denomination in circulation. But I am also aware that “Benjamin” is the name of one of the sons of Jacon, and is therefore the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. I am also aware that Judah P. Benjamin, a Jew, was an American (later Confederate) statesman, resigning the position of U. S. Senator to become the Confederate Attorney General (later Secretary of War, and still later Secretary of State.) I don’t know wht we cannot, if we want to use the colorful phrase, start saying, “It’s all about the Franklins” instead. Sometimes it isn’t what you say that matters – it’s what others hear.
For further reading, Steve Schmidt has made available in one place six essays he has written over the years on the Holocaust.
Yesterday, we did indeed have snow as predicted, but the sun was out a couple of hours before is was supposed to slow down to a trickle. (the prediction also suggested it would continue to trickle throug the night, which it may – or may not.) It was also Giving Tuesday, so my inbox was about twice its usual size. And one more notable thng – the Senate passed the law upholding same-sex marriage 61-36 At this link you can see the 12 Republicans who voted yes, and I guarantee some will surprise you. Now, this doesn’t mean some (*)hole state will not challenge the law, but it does make it harder.
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Mother Jones – How Did a State Known for Its War on Immigrants Approve In-State Tuition for Undocumented Students?
Quote – Proposition 300, [passed in 2006, was] a successful ballot measure that made university students in Arizona who were not US citizens or permanent residents and those lacking legal status ineligible for in-state tuition and federal and state financial aid…. Sixteen years later, that could change. The majority of voters in Arizona during the recent midterm elections were in favor of Proposition 308, a ballot measure that repealed provisions from Proposition 300 and opened the way for any high school graduate, regardless of immigration status, living in Arizona for at least two years, to access in-state tuition rates at state universities and community colleges. Click through for analysis. It makes sense to me. If you don’t like a groups of people, at least in part because they are uneducated, then educate them. but then, I’m a flaming liberal.
Crooks & Liars – Russian Mothers ‘Rewarded’ With A Set Of Towels For Fallen Sons
Quote – On the occasion of Mother’s Day, one of the leaders of the Kursk region in Russia made a grotesque gesture, presenting a set of towels to mothers who lost their sons on the Ukrainian front. Outrageous news came to light in the Russian media: one of the district leaders of the Kursk region, Sergey Korostyev, gave a set of towels to mothers who lost their sons on the Ukrainian front, reports the Russian newspaper Vesma. Click through for story and sources. Mothers Day in Russia is celebrated on the last Sunday in November. I don’t know about the “Dollar store” part. I expect the government is hurting for funding.
