The Rhode Island Holocaust and Genocide Education Commission (RIHGEC) was hard at work during the month of April, which is designated as Holocaust and Genocide Awareness Month in the state. The Holocaust, Armenian Genocide, Cambodian Genocide and Rwandan Genocide all started or significantly intensified during the month of April. The commission’s partners offered a wide variety of educational programming for the community across the state.
The commission began educational events on April 1, with a professional development workshop cosponsored by the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center and the Genocide Education Project (GenEd). The presentation by GenEd Teacher Fellow, Dr. Michael Xiarhos of Salve Regina University, focused on the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in genocide denial. AI can fabricate evidence or alter historical records in order to support claims that the Holocaust and other genocides never happened or have been greatly exaggerated. Dr. Xiarhos gave educators tips about how to recognize this technology, while also reminding teachers to stay up-to-date as its development rapidly accelerates.
On April 5, the Bristol Holocaust and Genocide Center at Bristol Community College, in collaboration with the LusoCentro Portuguese Cultural Center, hosted a conference on African genocides. The symposium featured a presentation from Dr. Veronique Helenon of UMASS Boston, a scholar who specializes in the connection between the French-speaking African diaspora and colonialism.
Retired educator Barbara Wahlberg, who sits on the commission, gave three presentations of her lecture “America and the Holocaust: Jim Crow Laws, Eugenics and the March Toward Genocide in Nazi-Occupied Europe,” on April 9 at Tiverton Public Library, April 23 at Cumberland Public Library and April 29 at Harmony Library. Wahlberg also gave a presentation on “The Ten Stages of Genocide and How Antisemitism Became an Effective Tool of the Nazis” on April 10 at the Willett Free Library in Saunderstown.
From the Armenian community, GenEd RI branch co-chairs Pauline Getzoyan and Esther Kalajian gave four presentations entitled, “A Journey from Despair to Hope: The Armenian Genocide and the Story of the Armenian Americans of RI.” The presentations were held on April 10 at the Cranston Public Library, April 17 at West Warwick Public Library, April 18 at the Pontiac Free Library Association in Warwick and on May 2 at Langworthy Public Library in Hope Valley, RI. Getzoyan serves as the chair of the RIHGEC.
The commission closed out the month of events on April 28 with a multidisciplinary program called “Remembrance, Resilience and Renewal: Genocide Awareness through the Arts.” Curated by Dr. Judith Lynn Stillman, Rhode Island College’s artist-in-residence, the program brought together musicians, artists, dancers and spoken-word poets from the Armenian, Cambodian, Jewish, Liberian, Rwandan and Uighur communities. This event not only commemorated these genocides but encouraged dialogue and intercommunal support — a valuable resource in this time of rising fear and hatred. The presentation was held virtually.
RIHGEC was proud to offer such a diverse slate of events from multiple communities in April. There is strength in numbers; when we work together, we are far more powerful than when we stand alone. For more information about RIHGEC, please visit the website at rihgec.org.
Guest Contributor
Latest posts by Guest Contributor (see all)
- Letter to the Editor | Mapping the sequence of the warfare against Armenians in the Middle East - September 10, 2024
- Capturing eternity: Jerusalem Armenian photography in the 19th and 20th centuries - September 10, 2024
- In Memory of Marlene (Nigohsian) Paul - September 9, 2024
Be the first to comment