I don't know if many of you know this story, but it is simply amazing. Back in 1998 the small town of Whitwell, Tennessee began a project which included the collection of six million paper clips-- each one representing each Jew that was killed during the Holocaust. Whitwell is a very homogenous town consisting of an exclusively white an Christian population. The students at Whitwell Middle School had never really been exposed to the concept of diverstity and massacre. The school principal then decided that the students needed to learn about different experiences outside their sheltered town. Once two of the teachers started teaching about the Holocaust, the students were shocked and they wanted to know more. They wanted to know what the number six million actually means.To commemorate every killed Jew during the Holocaust, the school decided to embark on a project which entailed collecting six million paper clips. These students became so dedicated to the project, but it took so long that it spanned over many years. In the end, their project became known all around the world, even internationally. They collected a total of 29 milllion paperclips from people all around the world. Their project was so inspiring that they had thousands of people sending paperclips daily. The school was able to then track down a railcar that was used in the Holocaust. Eleven milllion paperclips (6 million for the Jews, 5 million for the gypsies, homosexuas, and other victims that were targeted) now rest in the this railcar outside Whitwell Middle School. This project changed the lives of many individuals and it shows how a simple idea, like collecting 6 million paperclips, can actually be carried out. Many participants claimed that this project changed their lives.
Here are some questions I have for you:
-First, how many of you knew about this?
-Does it surprise you that such a small community could make a project like this internationally known? What does this say about the power of the individual?
-Why are homogenous communities not always taught about a diversity of issues in school? How important is location to education?
-How is this project an example of memory and legacy?
-How do you think Holocaust survivors reacted to this project? Deniers?
I saw this movie about a week ago and it really helped me understand that many communities don't teach about global events such as the Holocaust. Since this population was all white Christian, they may not have felt the need to inform their kids about events such as the Holocaust that may have no personal relevance. Here in San Francisco and as a student at Lick, I have been exposed to the many world problems. Growing up in a city and having the ability to take a class like Genocide has really changed my world perspective. I encourage everyone to see this movie because it was really moving and made me think about my role as a student studying the Holocaust.
Here is the trailer:
4 comments:
Hey Aileen, thanks for the film. I wasn't aware of this movie until now. It kind of reminds me of Pay It Forward, when the main character helps three poeple, and those three poeple have to each help three others, and then it spreads throughout the nation, all starting with one person. Like Ralph said, (our guest speaker for the H Block), anyone can make a difference, referring to Mr. Epstein, the man who took him in during the Holocaust. It surprised me that the town was not aware of the Holocaust, but it is true that maybe some schools think that because the Holocaust and other events were so far back in time and also in another country, there is no need to learn from it. Being in San Francisco, i think we are more fortunate to be exposed to many different events and to be asked why does it matter, or what can we take from it? Also, with homogenous communities, maybe they see themselves in a Euro-centric, Asia-centric, or wahtever-centric way. There is no need to be exposed to other events when they physically have not impacted them. Finally, this project is an example of legacy and memory because each paper clip is representing a Jew, and also it is bringing back the events of the Holocaust and the importance of reminding ourselves about what happened and how we can learn from it.
i saw this movie and it is fantastic. I highly recommend it. You can get it on netflix if you are a subscriber.
Everyone should this this movie.
I actually had not heard of this story before, but I think it is amazing. I do think it was a significant idea on the part of the teachers considering the specific location and homogeneous society they live in. Just a question - do you think this project would have received equal support in a heterogeneous community? More support? less?
I have heard a lot about this movie but I never got the chance to see it. I think the message is really powerful, and I think it is great that the town could get so much support from people everywhere.
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