MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE REFLECTION 1 Museum of Tolerance Reflection Derek Gutierrez Azusa Pacific University
MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE REFLECTION 2 Abstract: As a part of an assignment for class I went to the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. The purpose of this paper is to tell what I experienced there and how it affected me and changed me.
MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE REFLECTION 3 Before I saw Freedom Writers I didn t even know that the Museum of Tolerance existed, much less what was behind its doors. When I heard that attending the museum was a part of the requirements for this class I was exited for the opportunity to attend such an informative and affective museum. What follows is an explanation of what I saw and experienced there, the emotions and questions were elicited there, and finally an explanation of how, from my experience there, I think colleges can better create a safe environment for all students. On Tuesday, December 18 th me, along with some of my classmates drove to west Los Angeles and the Museum of Tolerance. As we walked down the spiral ramp that led to the lower level we passed the faces of the many Holocaust survivors who spoke and offered their stories at the museum. This was the first moment I realized how heavy this museum was going to be. In other places you can look at history and be removed emotionally, but this museum made sure, even from the start, to remind you that history isn t created by events, wars or politics, it is created by the stories and experiences of those involved, many of whom are still living. As we arrived to the lower level of the museum there were two places we could go, to the left was the Holocaust section of the museum, to the right was the tolerance portion. The woman leading us directed us to the tolerance section first. The first sight as you walk through those doors is a large screen playing scenes from history of prejudice, hatred, and death. The timeline of this video spanned from past to present helping the participant to realize that prejudice isn t something of the past, it is current, ongoing, real. As you turn the corner there are large screens with interactive computers showing current events that relate to hatred and prejudice. Things happening in our day and age to
MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE REFLECTION 4 people just like me. The story that stood out to me the most was the story of Matthew Shepherd, a young man who was beaten and murdered because of his sexual orientation. It s not that I didn t relate to the other stories, this one stuck a cord in my heart for some reason. This man, about my age, was brutally murdered simply because of who he was. What kind of hatred drives something like that? Unfortunately I do not have an answer to that question. The hard part was throughout the rest of the museum I found myself asking that question more and more and still not having an answer. Our group next went in to a room called the millennium machine. In this room there were many screens and we watched a video showing some of the injustices that still occur today, e.g. child slavery, child soldiers, and child pornography. Unfortunately this world turns a blind eye to that kind of thing, but the numbers are shocking. Millions of children are subject to this kind of neglect and abuse, and many of their stories are never heard. I remember the video ending and our entire group leaving that room in silence. Our class is very talkative, I think the silence speaks quite loudly to the affect that video had on us. After exiting that room we continued down the hallway through a set of doors. Before the doors were opened we were given the option to select either the prejudiced door, or the not prejudiced door. When someone near us asked to go through the not prejudiced door she could not. The idea was that we are all subject to prejudice, it is not a choice, it is a part of the world in which we live. We continued through the prejudiced doors to see a long timeline of history. This timeline highlighted events that were either influenced by or included prejudice. Women s rights, civil rights, gay rights, the KKK, neo Nazis, religious extremism, slavery, you name it, it was there. These were all things I had seen and heard
MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE REFLECTION 5 before, but never all tied together with the string of prejudice. It is shocking how this idea has shaped so much of our history. There was another thing that I recognized about the museum that was not necessarily a part of the museum. There were a lot of middle school and high school class tours attending the museum. It is good to see young people engaging in this museum and experiencing the truth that it reveals about the world of which they are a part. I think my generation and the younger generation has a mandate to both be informed about the past and to work to make a difference as a result of our knowledge. I am encouraged because by seeing those kids there I know we are headed in the right direction. After the tolerance portion of the museum we went to hear a survivor speak. Her name was Eva. Eva is Jewish and moved all over Europe during her childhood. She told the story as if it happened yesterday. Time and time again her parents worked to hide her. Moving constantly, changing names, living in a state of fear. Eventually her parents were taken: her father on the street, and her mother on the trains. The words that rang in my ears here were, and that was the last time I saw my mother. She was 8 years old, and she was alone. If it weren t for other people, women, who continued to step up and care for her she wouldn t be here. She lived in two concentration camps and was eventually released to live in Switzerland. One thing that stood out to me was how much happened to her before she was even 10 years old. Recounting her story to you on this page does nothing. I can t write what I saw and heard and give it any justice. I just know that that day I met one of the strongest and most amazing individuals I will ever meet. I shook her hand after she spoke and realized that people will not be able to shake the hand of a Holocaust survivor for much longer. This unique experience is something I will take with me forever.
MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE REFLECTION 6 The third portion of the museum that we saw was the Holocaust section. I received a card that corresponded to an individual, Ruth Moses, a girl from Frankfurt, Germany. This museum was guided by light and sound. We followed the story of three historians who told the story of the Holocaust: what led up to it, and also during it. While it began through the eyes of these historians, the further you went into the museum the more a part of it you became. The observers became more than simply observers, they became participants. The museum did an incredible job of guiding the audience to empathy, to actually take on the perspective of people in the Holocaust. It wasn t just a history lesson; it became real. The most poignant time for me was when we walked through the gates of a concentration camp. There was a large map showing the location of every concentration camp, and as you walked through the gates it told you how many people walked through gates just like that never to return again. As we walked through the gates we were led into a fork, one side for able bodied people, one side for children and elderly people. We walked through a narrow brick hallway and entered the large cement gas chamber. The last video we were shown we watched sitting in a replica of the gas chambers. There the reality of the hatred and sorrow that was felt during the holocaust weighed down on me. It was impossible to separate myself from the emotion, from the reality of the story, the reality of Eva s story, and so many others. As we exited the chamber I received a print out explaining that Ruth, the story I was following, was killed with her family in a gas chamber like the one I had just walked through. One of the main points of the museum was to show that what happened during the Holocaust wasn t just for Jewish people; it could have happened to anyone, and it still can,
MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE REFLECTION 7 unless we remember, unless we inform ourselves and actively engage in changing the hatred that caused the Holocaust in the first place. We all have that duty. Attending this museum did bring up some questions in my mind; unfortunately some of them are questions that I don t think I have the answer to. The first one I mentioned above, how can people be driven to the kind of hatred that results in death? That is something I simply do not understand. Another question that came up for me was this: would we even be having discussions of diversity if prejudice didn t exist? I think the answer to this question is yes. Unfortunately conversations of diversity are a response to prejudice, but I think that even if somehow we could imagine a world without prejudice we would still want to hear each others stories, and a lot of the time that is talking about diversity. Ideally I think talking about diversity should not be responsive, but it should stand alone as a part of life that bears much fruit. Another question that I walked away with I don t have the full answer to, but I know part of it. What is my part in this conversation? I can t say what that will exactly look like in the future, but I know that it will take living in daily pursuit of loving other people. That sounds cheesy and cliché but I think the appropriate response to prejudice is love, and I will seek to live that out in my life. How then can college campuses create environments that are welcoming to all students? That is a big question to answer, and I will answer it in three ways. First I will say that today s colleges are headed in the right direction. No institution is perfect, and people make mistakes, but I can say that when it comes to making students feel welcome, seen, and heard, there is an upward trend at most institutions. They simply need to continue in their pursuits to become more conscious of students and successful in hearing them. A second way to answer this is to speak of the staff on college campuses. It is my job to do
MUSEUM OF TOLERANCE REFLECTION 8 what I can to genuinely care for students at my university. This is the factor that I have complete control over: educating myself, being intentional, and being honest. I will seek to do that. Finally I will answer this question by pointing out that there is no end point to making schools more open to students. There is an implied infinitude in this conversation that is very exciting. Schools, students, staff and faculty will be in a constant pursuit of a deeper love. We just have to be diligent about continuing that pursuit.