Portland Observer, February 20, 1985, Page 7
Anne Frank's diary remains relevant
by Hubert I olhum
There is probably no more poignani
account o f life during the Nazi terror
than the D ia ry o f A nne Prank The
young Jewish girl and her family hid
from the Nazis for two years in A m
sterdam, but they were eventually
discovered and Anne and most of her
family died in concentration camps.
Anne Trank left behind her famous
diary, and she has become a symbol
o f the holocaust and efforts to make
sure it never happens again.
An exhibit o f two collections from
the Anne Frank House in A m ster
dam, “ Anne Frank and her D ia ry ,”
and “ Fascism, Racism and Anti-Semi
tism: Recent Developments,” is now
on display at the U .S Rank Plaza.
S.W Fifth and Oak. 9 a m. - 5 p.m .,
M onday through Saturday, during
February . The exhibit is free and open
to the public
Neo-Nazis say that the diary is a
fake and that stories of the horrors of
the death camps are communist propa
ganda, according to the Dutch human
rights expert. “ A lth ou gh they are
small, they are v io le n t,” and even
more violent than left-wing terrorists,
he said.
«
Unem ployed young people who
have no idea o f "the cruelty.. .the hor
ror” o f the N a/is are attracted to the
growing neo-Nazi movements in E u
rope, said van der Val. They want to
blame their economic hardships on
somebody, o ften im m igrants and
"B lack people from the co lo n ies."
The neo-Nazis share the belief in bask'
racial inequalities with their Nazi fore-
bearer,, he said
B lack H istory
M onth. Feb.
Anne Frank's diary is so appealing
because she was a “ perfectly ordinary
g irl” w riting about ordinary things,
said Bauco van der W a l, director of
the Anne Frank House. “ I f you life in
Chippewa Falls or Tokyo, Anne Frank
is somebody you could understand,”
said van der W al, who was in P o rt
land to open the exhibit.
Irvington
School
(Continued fro m Page I, Column 6)
threc-year period, it has been spent on
computer literacy, bringing in people
from O .M .S .I. and trips to the Oregon
Symphony. I, might be belter spent on
development o f inter-personnel and
inter-cultural relationships," said
Miller
Ayers said although com plaints
about Chadwick centered around his
dealings with Black mothers, his ac
tions were not racist. “ He docs not in
tend to treat them as they perceive.
It's his leadership style — a style we
are going to have Io discuss," he noted
Ayers also said C h ad w ick's style
might have caused a physical a lte r
cation on the school's playground
February 13, as students witnessed a
confrontation between Chadwick and
two female adults who came to pick up
a child.
" I t was a m isunderstanding,”
Chadwick said the night o f the 13th.
“ Permission came from the parents,
but we did not receive it. fin e woman
kicked me in the groin I apologized
to the parent and explained our pro
cedure for having a student picked
up. It was a regrettable in c id en t,”
he said.
Patty C o x c ff, who first brought
the situation at Irvington to the public
{P o rtlan d Observer, January 30),
said (h a d w ic k has retaliated against
her by barring her from the school.
" I saw this little boy run o ff the
school ground and he did not come
back for 15 minutes. I asked another
child whom I knew what the hild's
name was. ( hadwick turned it mound
and said I was asking children for
their phone numbers,” she said Cox-
e ll said her child w ill rem ain home
with an ample supply of homework.
" I f I ’ m not able to go on the school
ground, my child will not go either."
( hadwick called the public exposure
initiated by A ir ' American Mothers
Against In s titu tion al Racism
“ in-
fammatory.”
Mathis said he plans to conclude his
assessment ol these complaints some
time in March
PSU opens doors
Hundreds o f O regon high school
juniors and seniors who are Black,
Hispanic, American Indian and Asian
arc expected to attend Portland Slate
University’s special “ on-campus field
trip” scheduled for Wednesday, Feb
ruary 27.
The event, which includes lunch and
entertainment at no cost, will feature
a wide variety of speakers and activi
ties to provide encouragement lo r
these students to pursue their higher
education goals.
For further in fo rm a tio n , contact
P S U ’s A ffirm a tiv e Action O ffic e at
229-4417.
Even though they are responsible ■ such laws, in his opinion. "This is not
for an alarming number of anti-Semi
a matter o f freedom o f speech," he
tic and rafially-m otivatcd bombings
said
and attacks, the general public appar
D r Syglvia F ran kel, director o f
ently perceives the neo-Nazis as only a
the Oregon Holocaust Center in Port
“ few weirdo« walking around wearing
land. said that the exhibit is " a ll
swastikas" and not a threat, he con ( booked u p " with scheduled visits by
Portland school children. " I t ’ a im -
tinued.
i
" I n Europe it is no longer fro n t
poriani to teach these kids so they’ll be
page news when a hand grenade is
ready tor it," she said about the racism
thrown into a group of Jewish children
and anti-Semitism fomented by neo-
on their way to camp. Now it is page
Nazis
three."
In addition to the Anne Frank and
" It is important to uncover them, to
neo-Nazi exhibits, the Anne Frank
make clear what they really stand fo r,"
House in Amsterdam has sponsored
sax! van der W al. referring to the neo-
exhibits on apartheid and discrimina
Nazis. European countries have laws
tion against European immigrants. It
which make stirring up racial hatred a
also exerts pressure on governments
punishable offense, and the U.S. needs
that violate human nghts.
How many Black
Americans are you familiar
with in the history of our country?
Chances are, not that many
because you won 7 find them in
most history books. But Black
History Month gives us a chance
to become aware of the contribu
tions many Black Americans have
made in science, medicine, industry,
agriculture, literature and more.
Join us in the observation of Black History
Month and broaden your knowledge of how
we, collectively, as a people have made
this country what it is today.
Fight illiteracy
W r it t e n D e s ig n e d x P ro d u c e d b y D errick t
Thousands of adults in our r.cigh-
borhood are struggling to get by in
this “ info rm ation age" without the
ability to read
The N o rlh /N o rth e a s t Portland
Literacy Project provides free tutor
ing in reading skills, and we are try
ing to expand their program
A community information meeting
will be held Thursday, February 28, at
7:30 p .m . in the Irvin g to n School
Auditorium, I32O N I Brazcc Street
D.m sby
SAFEWAY
I or more information, call 28) 2541,
•«tension 351
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