23/01/2023
On Friday the 20th of January, we hosted an event at our Broadway campus, organised by Lord Austin of Dudley, alongside our Students’ Union and other local organisations to commemorate individuals, families and generations who have been and are still affected by the events of the Holocaust. It was attended by a variety of individuals from the local community, including faith leaders, members of the community and students from across Dudley borough.
The commemoration involved a variety of speakers in our main hall, where we were joined by special guest and Holocaust survivor Eva Clarke BEM. It was an honour to have her at Dudley College, talking about her story and experience. Eva was born in Mauthausen concentration camp, Austria, on 29th April 1945. She and her mother were the only survivors of their family.
Students that had taken part in the Holocaust Educational Trust’s project ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ also spoke about their experiences, with photography students Sarah Ralph & Miah Bryan having been nominated to visit Auschwitz next February by the HET through the project to learn more about the effects of the Holocaust.
‘Ordinary People’ was the theme for this year’s commemoration; the Holocaust was caused, affected and ended by ordinary people. This theme is to help ordinary people understand how everyone can take action to prevent and challenge situations of prejudice and discrimination today.
A tree was also planted in Coronation Gardens to celebrate 80 years of the work the Association of Jewish Refugees has been doing, as well as paying tribute to AJR member Fred Austin MBE. This tree was also for Dudley Council to commemorate the work that the Dudley Refugee Committee does to continue welcoming refugees into the local community.
Students’ Union President, Mollie-Amelia Hehir, said “We are so pleased that once again we can collaborate and highlight the importance of this event to our student members.”
“While the events of the Holocaust cannot be compared to the injustices of today, it is a reminder of the world we live in and we should never be silent upon seeing wrongdoing.”
“The event helps us educate all of our community members and act as a commitment to sharing the legacy of this dark period in history.”
We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone involved in organising the event, with special thanks to our photography students; Beth Hewitt, Josh Harper, Jesse Jewkes, Sarah Ralph, Miah Bryan, Hollie Carrington & Corey Challenger, for capturing the event.
If you’d like to find out more about Eva and her mother’s incredible story, please visit the link: www.het.org.uk/survivors-eva-clarke
