International Holocaust Remembrance Day is commemorated on January 27, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in 1945. We honor the memory of the 6 million Jews and the millions of Roma, Sinti, Slavs, disabled persons, LGBTQ+ individuals, political dissidents and others who were murdered in the Holocaust. And we encourage learning from the survivors as we reflect on the significance of this history.
For Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoa), education is important so that we never forget the horrors that hate manifests. But for truly meaningful commitment to learning from and preventing such atrocities, we must come together in the urgency of now—in combating censorship about our country's history, in teaching about racism and the systems of anti-Black oppression, and in countering the patterns of hate in our nation and world today. The Holocaust is not just a singular event of the past; every generation must make the commitment to "never again," and that begins with education.
When it comes to investing in racial justice in education, we believe that the South is the best place to start. If you’re an educator, parent or caregiver, or community member living and working in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana or Mississippi, we’ll mail you a free introductory package of our resources when you join our community and subscribe to our magazine.