Genocide Awareness Week is a series of lectures, exhibits and storytelling by distinguished survivors, scholars, politicians, activists, artists, humanitarians and members of law enforcement. This week-long event seeks to address how we, as a global society, confront violent actions and current and ongoing threats of genocide throughout the world, while also looking to the past for guidance and to honor those affected by genocide.
Topics covered include Respect and Tolerance in Our World, The Armenian Genocide, Rethinking Perpetrators and Survivors, Healing Hate in America, The Shoah and Its Aftermath, The First World War and the Jews and many more.
Genocide Awareness Week will be held April 15-20 and is hosted by Scottsdale Community College at 9000 E. Chaparral Road in Scottsdale and sponsored in part by local and national organizations. This event is free and open to the public.
In addition to the presentations, there are other events being held in conjunction with Genocide Awareness Week. These include an opening night reception, special exhibits on display, workshops and a memorial service.
OPENING NIGHT
Opening Reception in the Peridot Room
April 15 at 5:30 pm
This reception is hosted by Randy Nussbaum and Sacks Tierney.
Beyond Labels: The Girl Who Smiled Beads
April 15 at 6 pm
Clemantine Wamariya is an internationally renowned speaker, a New York Times bestselling author and a human rights advocate. Her memoir The Girl Who Smiled Beads debuted with Crown Publishing in April 2018 and is published in 5 languages and dozens of countries. This presentation is sponsored by Amy Cohn of the United States Holocaust Museum.
SPECIAL EXHIBITS
There are several exhibits on display before, during, and continuing after, the event:
From Nuremberg to Hollywood (Jan. 27-April 30)
Student Center Lobby
Filming the Camps by John Ford, Samuel Fuller and George Stevens. Exhibit provided by Memorial de la Shoah. Exhibit sponsored by The East Valley Jewish Community Center and The Greater Phoenix Jewish Film Festival.
Photography Essay: Holocaust and The Armenian Genocide (Feb. 10-April 20)
Student Center Lobby near Bookstore
Photography essay by Matt Cohen. Cohen is a Phoenix-based Travel and Fine Art Photographer whose award-winning work has been widely published in newspapers, magazines, and books. Cohen’s images have been shown in galleries and exhibits throughout the Valley.
Before I Die Wall (April 15-20)
East Patio Student Center
The wall poses a simple question: What do you want to do before you die? Over 2,000 chalkboard walls have been created in more than 70 countries and more than 35 languages, inviting viewers to connect with profound personal truths about what is really important.
WORKSHOPS
Workshop for Law Enforcement Officers and Prosecutors
April 19 from 8:30 am to noon; sign-in begins at 8 am
What You Do Matters: Lessons From the Holocaust
Presented by Mr. Jason Kalish, Division Chief, Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.
The study of the Holocaust provides an important insight into the consequences that can occur when the government shifts the mission of the police from protecting individuals to a policy of abusing basic human rights. Working with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, AZPOST and the Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys’ Advisory Council offer a powerful teaching vehicle to ensure that the core values of our democracy are upheld. It is designated for law enforcement officers and prosecutors only.
Memorial de la Shoa Teachers’ Workshop
April 20 from 9 am to 3 pm
Teaching the Holocaust
Presented by Christian Delage, professor at the University of Paris 8 and the Director of the Institute for the History of the Present Time.
Since the mid-1990s, he has worked on the history of the Holocaust, the filmed record of the liberation of the Nazi camps, and the Nuremberg trials. In 2006, his book La Vérité par l’image: De Nuremberg au procès Milosevic was published in France, and in 2007 his documentary “Nuremberg: The Nazis Facing Their Crimes” premiered at Lincoln Center. He also served as a policy advisor on the filming of the Khmer Rouge trials, and produced Cameras in the Courtroom, a documentary discussing the issues of filming trials. His last film, “From Hollywood to Nuremberg: John Ford, Samuel Fuller, George Stevens,” has just won an award from the French Documentary Filmmakers Association.
GENOCIDE MEMORIAL SERVICE
There will be a memorial service held at the Scottsdale Community College Genocide Memorial on Aril 24 at 9 am. The memorial is located toward the center of campus between the Science Lecture (SL) and Applied Sciences (AP) Buildings.
This ecumenical ceremony remembers those of all: ethnicities, genders, religions and beliefs who have been murdered in genocides worldwide and throughout time. Religious and secular dignitaries speak and pray for the victims. It’s held at SCC’s genocide memorial monument, and on remembrance day for the Armenian Genocide. The artistic monument was donated by St. Apkar’s Armenian Apostolic Church.
For more information on all of the events, visit scottsdalecc.edu/genocide.
