Los Angeles

While on our field trip to Los Angeles on Thursday, there were many experiences that I found extremely interesting. At the LA Holocaust Memorial Museum, there were a few particular parts of the tour that struck me. First were the artifacts that were from the Holocaust such as the yellow stars that would have to have been worn by Jewish people as well as a concentration camp prisoner’s uniform. Looking at, and being so close to such a representative part of history made me realize how real the danger was for all the people in Western Europe. Also at the museum was a true to size cattle car that was similar to ones which would have been used. Each of these helped me connect to what would have been a reality during World War II. Through the tour we saw how the steps were taken in Germany to make it possible for the genocide to take place. We learned how the targets of the Nazi party were the youth, those who could easily be manipulated. This was especially important to me because it shows how susceptible people my age were and the role they played in furthering the atrocities. If they had the power to do this imagine what we can do, today. It is our generations responsibility to carefully use our influence in our country. In addition to the seeing the artifacts, the museum also allowed me to understand the personal journeys that people took, and to know the importance of remembering and honoring those through the way that we look at the world today. This directly relates to our evening activity, where we listened to different ways that we can make a difference in Darfur. We became more educated in what sorts of steps are possible for the United States and the global community to take to help.