University of Nebraska Kearney
2508 11th Avenue
Kearney, NE 68849-2240
Email: weissell@unk.edu
Tel: (308) 865-8593
Exhibition open February 5 to March 19, during Library hours
Race (2016) explores Jesse Owens' quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history. His quest thrusts Owens onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler's vision of Aryan supremacy. Dr. Rachel Silverman – UNK Kinesiology & Sport Science, Dr. Lina Homberger-Cordia – sports historian, and UNK students will react to themes raised in the film. This event is cosponsored by Modern Languages and International Studies as well as Student Engagement & Leadership. Programming made possible, in part, by Humanities Nebraska.
The Great Dictator (1940), directed, produced by, and starring Charlie Chaplin, is a political satire and black comedy that vehemently condemned Hitler and Mussolini as well as their ideologies. It was wildly popular and is in the National Film Registry. Following the film, Dr. Torsten Homberger, UNK History, and Prof. Jacob Rosdail, UNK Communication will discuss the historical context of the film as well as its cultural impact. Programming made possible, in part, by Humanities Nebraska.
Join us for the Americans & the Holocaust opening reception. Dr. Torsten Homberger, author of The Honor Dress of the Movement: A Cultural History of Hitler's Brown Shirt Uniform, 1920–1933, will speak about the rise of Nazism, setting the stage for the events explored in the exhibition. The exhibition will be open for tours. Light refreshments will be served, and all ages are welcome.
We printed the individual profile cards and had a basket with them in it by clipboards with the Family Guides from the exhibit material. We also had a program called Remembering the Children of The Holocaust partnering with the Twin Lakes Playhouse and a local artist. Children and teens from the Playhouse read profile cards about victims who were children and teens while we painted ceramic magnets they could take home and one to leave here for our display. Each participant got a profile card to take home. I specifically chose survivor cards to send home with the children who participated. Most of our programs were for older participants, from middle school up, but we are a public Library and wanted to include younger families in some way. We were careful not to portray this as a dramatic representation of victims or acting, but it was impactful to hear someone about the same age as the victims reading what happened and it is important to remember The Holocaust was not just adults. People of all ages were victims.
During World War II, Nebraska was the site of several prisoner of war (POW) camps. Join our expert panelists for a discussion of German POWs in Nebraska, POW sites such as Camp Atlanta and Fort Robinson, and World War II in Nebraska. The Americans and the Holocaust exhibit asks “what did Americans know?”, a question learning about German POWs, and what they knew and shared with Nebraskans, can help us answer. In addition to talking about events of the 1940s, panelists will also discuss how historic sites interpret this fascinating history. Panelists include Dr. Cole Kruger - Kilgore College, Melissa Amateis - University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Will Kessen - Ft. Robinson State Historical Park, and Micah Hueser - Nebraska Prairie Museum.
We are pleased to host the Americans & the Holocaust Symposium. Students will present their work on topics related to the themes of the Americans & the Holocaust exhibition. The event is open to high school students and above as well as community members. See https://library.unk.edu/resources/americansholocaust.php to submit your work or to register for the symposium.
Most Honorable Son (1970) tells the story of Nebraskan Ben Kuroki. Kuroki was the only Japanese American in the US Army Air Forces to serve in combat in the Pacific. The post-film panel discussion features Vickie Sakurada Shaepler, Japanese Hall Coordinator, Dr. Donna Andersen, UNL, and Dr. Nathan Tye, UNK, discussing Japanese Americans, Nebraska, and World War II.
From Swastika to Jim Crow (2000) explores the similarities between Nazism in Germany and racism in the American south during Jim Crow. It does this through the stories of Jewish scholars expelled from German who found teaching positions in historically Black colleges when the rest of academia was aloof or hostile. Their shared experience of oppression united the two groups leading to impactful collaborations that influenced the nascent Civil Rights movement and had broad societal impact. Following the documentary, our panelists will speak to the complex issues raised.
As the Holocaust persisted in Europe, Americans reacted to the humanitarian crisis in real time and memorialized its victims. In the decades that followed, memorial efforts in the United States evolved and expanded to create new archives, museums, and media to preserve Holocaust memory. Dr. Hannah Lahti will highlight the various ways the Holocaust was memorialized in the United States from World War II to the present day, and how those efforts have changed over time.