Paul Harris
Multimedia Director
The Cohen Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Keene State College hosted the 2011 Hildebrandt and Herman Awards on Monday, April 11. The awards took place in the Mabel Brown Room of the L.P. Young Student Center, and a large audience filled the room to honor this year’s recipients.
The KSC student awards were presented to juniors Christopher Jennerjohn and Taylor Mitchell.
Jennerjohn was recognized for an original charcoal drawing titled “Looking for Hope,” and Mitchell for an oral presentation titled “Testimony.”
The New England Dance Ensemble received the New England Community Resident Award for a dance titled, “A Child’s View of the Holocaust.”
Hannah Early and Jessica Spear received the student award for Early’s painting, “Liberation” and Spear’s monologue, “Historical Fiction Biography-Anne Frank.”
The Herman Awards recipients for this year were KSC student Brittney Sousa and community recipient, Dr. Therese Seibert.
This year’s lecture was titled “Speaking Truth to Power: Germany’s White Rose Student Resistance,” and it was presented by Dr. Jud Newborn. Dr. Newborn has devoted his life to fight for freedom and holocaust awareness and he talked about the significance of the White Rose. White Rose is a story about Christian students growing up in Germany who rallied together and effectively resisted the Hitler and the Nazi regime.
“We need the White Rose to fight stubborn prejudice across the world,” Dr. Newborn said. “We need to be a world of doers not just listeners.”
Dr. Hank Knight, Director of Cohen Center, said the event should remind everyone about the impact one person can have when they step up and try to make change. “Your own voice makes a difference. You can make and difference, and this event honors those people who have done so,” Knight said.
The next event for the Cohen Center is the 14th annual Holocaust Memorial Lecture scheduled for October 10, 2011.
Paul Harris can be contacted at pharris@keeneequionx.com
