Remembering the Holocaust, let us nurture a beloved community

This message was sent by email to all UW Tacoma students, staff and academic personnel.

Saturday, Jan. 27, is International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The United Nations established the day to remember the killing of six million Jews and millions of others by the Nazi regime and its collaborators during World War II. The day pays tribute to the victims and the survivors of that genocide, and promotes Holocaust education and awareness around the world.

Mass atrocities like the Holocaust do not happen in a vacuum. Their seeds are planted by biases, behaviors and hate speech based on stereotyping and fear of difference.

In the last few months we have seen a global, and increasingly violent, surge of antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias and hate speech. College campuses, including ours, are not immune to this very disturbing trend. History tells us that bias and hate, when unchecked, lay the foundation for violence.

We must combat these forms of hate because they are antithetical to our commitment to building a beloved community — an inclusive, safe and welcoming environment in which all our students, faculty and staff can bring their authentic best selves and thrive in pursuing their academic and professional goals.

An important step toward that commitment is entering into conversations that allow us engage across differences and understand each other’s experiences.

There are several upcoming opportunities to engage and learn:

• The Jackson School of International Studies on the Seattle campus is hosting the War in the Middle East Lecture Series, with upcoming lectures on Jan. 30, and Feb. 6, 13, 20 and 27. Events are in-person and livestreamed, and previous sessions are recorded and posted on the website.

• The UW Tacoma Office of Equity & Inclusion is hosting two upcoming panel discussions — Combatting Antisemitism on Feb. 7 and Combatting Islamophobia on Feb. 8. These discussions are intended to help participants understand the nature and scope of these biases, how they affect individuals and groups, and how to combat them to build a beloved community. Invitations and registration links will be sent soon.

I encourage you to take these opportunities to learn and build our community. Working together, we can fulfill the vision of the founders of International Holocaust Remembrance Day and keep alive the promise of “never again.” I look forward to learning and building community with you.