Human Rights: Family

DarfurTribute
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Tribute.pdf

I returned to Germany in September of 1945 as a censor and interpreter, attached to the U.S. Army of Occupation. On weekends I visited Foehrenwalde Displaced Persons Camp bringing food and supplies with the help of military personnel who in John Steinbeck's words displayed "willingness of heart."

Questions such as why my family and millions of others had perished and the nature of evil haunted me. I searched for answers both in those pocket size army books the U.S. Army published and survivors I met. One, called Jakov, introduced me to a young artist Georg Zielezinski who had survived Dachau drawing what he saw around him, using bits of charcoal and torn pieces of rice paper. Two of the drawings "I am cold," and "If Only," became centerpieces of my life's work.

"I am cold," decorated the cover of the first Human Rights Teacher Resource Manual, published in March 1981 by the Connecticut State Department of Education. For me the title symbolizes a world where all children are welcomed and their needs recognized and addressed. "If Only" meant working toward realizing such a world.

I also discovered the writer Albert Camus who suggests that genuine participation helps alleviate pain and creates joyousness. Camus became the first tribute celebration honoree at Conard High School in 1973. Everyone, who wished, could participate and became a valued member of the tribute family. We shared our celebration with many different groups in the larger community. That, too, was fun and a learning experience.

In 1947, Camus spoke to students at Columbia University. This is what he said "We must listen attentively amid all the uproar for the faint fluttering of wings, the gentle stirring of life and hope. Some say this hope lies in a nation, others in a religion, others in humankind. I believe that hope lives and is nourished by millions of solitary individuals whose deeds and words every day negate frontiers and the crudest implications of history."

Much of Camus' philosophy became rooted in the programs I designed. His appreciation and faith in the capability of each individual, regardless of who they were became the touchstone of Tribute Celebrations. Also, his love and enjoyment of life appealed to the students.