a history to be reckoned with

In honor of International Day of Peace 2022 - this year's theme is end racism, build peace - wonder | wonder | world pick of the week is the newly released Ken Burns documentary on PBS - "The U.S. and the Holocaust". 

As proud Americans who honestly believe in this country and its people - this documentary is a brazen eye opener. The Holocaust has many lessons it can yet teach - pray we remain alert and attentive. 

Did you know that Hitler so admired the US government segregation practices among Native Americans and Jim Crow laws for African Americans - he was so inspired he studiously copied a few of them in his grand plan to exterminate the Jews in Europe?

We Americans may consider the US a “nation of immigrants,” but as the catastrophe of the Holocaust unfolded in Europe, the United States proved unwilling to open its doors - fearing foreign invasion.  

No more than a fraction of the hundreds of thousands of desperate people seeking refuge were even considered. A practice the government still upholds to this day against all refugees - even those from its own wars and invasions. 

History cannot be looked at in isolation. While we rightly celebrate American ideals of democracy and our history as a nation of immigrants, we must also grapple with the fact that American institutions and policies, like segregation and the brutal treatment of indigenous populations, were influential in Hitler’s Germany.

And it cannot be denied that, although we accepted more refugees than any other sovereign nation, America could have done so much more to help the millions of desperate people fleeing Nazi persecution. ~ Ken Burns

The U.S. and the Holocaust is a three-part, six hour series that examines America’s response to one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the twentieth century. It posits, did the nation fail to live up to its ideals? This is a history to be reckoned with so those mistakes and failures are never again repeated. 

Our family is inordinately proud of our sibling who provided funding for this project through The Russell Berrie Foundation. 

We encourage one and all to watch and learn about American history, government, and behavior. A truly cautionary tale of heartbreak and horror.