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Juniata College

(Posted April 4, 2016)

Ronald Suny will speak at 7 p.m., Monday, April 12, in Neff Lecture Hall in the von Liebig Center for Science.
Ronald Suny will speak at 7 p.m., Monday, April 12, in Neff Lecture Hall in the von Liebig Center for Science.

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- From April 10 to April 15, Juniata College will host Genocide Awareness and Action Week, an interdisciplinary program originally organized by students to commemorate the 1994 Rwandan genocide in particular as well as other historical genocides.


All events listed are free and open to the public, except where noted. The week's activities are organized by Juniata students Sarah Ullom-Minnich, a sophomore from Moundridge, Kan., and David Girard, a junior from West Hartford, Conn.


The week's activities will begin at 7 p.m., Sunday, April 10, with the showing of the documentary film, "A People Uncounted," in Neff Lecture Hall in the von Liebig Center for Science. "A People Uncounted" explores the ruthless persecution the Roma have faced over generations, and the horrors they experienced during the Nazi Holocaust.


On Monday, April 11, at noon in Sill Boardroom in the von Liebig Center for Science. Students from the course "Restorative Justice," taught by David Ragland, visiting assistant professor of peace studies, will speak on how restorative justice can overcome dehumanization. This presentation is open to the public.

Ronald Suny , Wiliam H. Sewell Jr. Distinguished University Professor of History at the University of Michigan and professor emeritus of political science and history at the University of Chicago, will speak on "They Can Live in the Desert But Nowhere Else" Explaining the Armenian Genocide 100 Years Later. at 7 p.m., in Neff Lecture Hall in the von Liebig Center for Science. The talk is the story of why, when, and how the genocide of the Armenians of the Ottoman Empire happened. Suny will explore the challenges of historical amnesia and reclaiming history. He is the author of "The Baku Commune, 1917-1918," "The Making of the Georgian Nation," "Looking Toward Ararat: Armenia in Modern History," "The Revenge of the Past: Nationalism, Revolution, and the Collapse of the Soviet Union," and "'They Can Live in the Desert But Nowhere Else,'" A History of the Armenian Genocide.

Tuesday, April 12, Polly Walker, associate professor of peace and conflict studies and head of Juniata's Baker Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, will moderate a discussion of how the Carlisle Indian School disenfranchised Native American families, at noon in Sill Boardroom. This event is closed to the public.

In the evening, at 8 p.m., students and faculty will read poetry, "Trauma Through the Generations," focused on aspects of genocide awareness in the temporary exhibit hall of the Juniata College Museum of Art. The will also be a small exhibition on "Iconic Images of the Armenian Genocide" on display. Refreshments will be provided.

Wednesday, April 13, there will be a Lunch talk at noon in Sill Boardroom in the von Liebig science center, on a recent study-abroad trip to Rwanda, overseen by Alison Fletcher, associate professor of history, and Celia Cook-Huffman, professor of conflict resolution.

At 7 p.m., in Neff Lecture Hall, Alumna Zeljana Varga will present the talk: "The Life of a Spoon in a Concentration Camp." Zeljana will talk about research she is conducting with the National Holocaust Museum, and share her own family's story from the war and genocide in Bosnia.

Thursday, April 14, will feature a lunch talk on the story of a Holocaust survivor, at noon, in Sill Boardroom. Student Carly Altenberg '18 will share her grandmother's story of living in a concentration camp during the Holocaust.

Juniata alumna Lily Kruglak, a 2011 graduate, who was the first Juniata student to study abroad in Rwanda and who was the first organizer of Genocide Awareness Week in 2011, will speak about the current situation in Burundi another African country undergoing strife and civil war. She will be joined by speaker Liliane Umuhoza, a freshman international student from Rwanda for a Dinner FEAST sponsored by Juniata's PAX-O club at 6 p.m., Thursday in the Stone Church of the Brethren. Tickets for the dinner are $10 at the door. Proceeds will benefit an organization working to help those affected by the violence.

Friday, April 15, in Sill Boardroom, there will be a talk on "Genocide Prevention," by Lily Kruglak.. Later that day, the Juniata chapter of Hillel will hold its "Freedom Seder" at 6 p.m., in Sill Boardroom in the von Liebig Center for Science. The seder dinner is free, but tickets are required for entry. Tickets are available at Unity House and at the information desk in Ellis Hall, as well as at the Genocide Awareness and Action Week table in Ellis.

The final event for Genocide Awareness and Action Week will be a Memorial Vigil candlelight walk that will start outside the front entrance to the von Liebig science center and end at Juniata's art museum. When the procession reaches the art museum, the Juniata Concert Choir will perform a closing song.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.

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