WHS Sophomore to Speak at Holocaust Remembrance Day

sophomore Caroline Kane has been chosen to speak at Yom Ha Shoah (Holocaust) Remembrance Day ceremony on April 18 hosted by Facing History and Ourselves. 

Caroline, a student in WHS Social Studies teacher Beth Noren’s American History course, will speak on how learning about the Holocaust and other crimes against humanity caused her to become an active participant in ending prejudice and stereotypes.

“Caroline often champions for those who can’t speak for themselves in my classroom, both in regards to groups that we are studying and in regards to those peers in the class who are often ignored or ridiculed,” Noren said. “She has quite the command in regards to speaking and I felt her passion to help others and her ability to articulate her arguments made her a perfect candidate for this opportunity.”

Here is the text of Caroline's speech:

“Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.”

Those were the immortal words of Anne Frank who still believed in the people who were hunting down and murdering her friends and family. I’m sure we all hope that if we were in her position, we would have the same forgiving and loving attitude. It is people like Anne Frank that made my education of the Holocaust so memorable.

When I first began learning about the Holocaust, I learned there are three types of people on this earth. Bullies, victims, and protectors. I was so horrified learning about these victims, I promised myself, I will do everything in my power to be a protector for everybody and anybody who needed one. I wanted this idea to spread so the world would eventually not have a need for protectors. So whenever I met an individual or even a group of people that were viewed as freaks or outcasts, I would try to get to know them or understand their view on what made them different. One doesn’t necessarily always agree with somebody else’s point of view but it’s important to try to understand and respect other people.

I think that’s why we have bullies today. Bullies are simply people who don’t take the time to attempt to understand someone who are different than themselves. If we all simply open up to something outside of our perspective of “normal,” we wouldn’t have modern day genocides such as the Ugandan children, Rwanda, and Darfur. 

On a daily, basis I walk down the hallway at my high school and I hear derogatory terms like “camel jockey, fag, the N word, chink,” etc. It’s truly terrifying thinking how quickly small digs such as these can escalate from a simple division of groups and the using the terms “us” and “them.” I heard this from my history teacher my first day of school this year and then I realized how many times a day I use those words. Many people are unaware how much division and hatred are in those two commonly used words.

So when I think about what I’ve learned about the Holocaust, I think about the people that didn’t hate even though they received nothing but hate in return. People like Anne Frank who even though many view her as a victim, I view her as a protector.