Sonoma Valley High educators explore Tolerance Museum

Sonoma Valley High School Principal Kathleen Hawing joined seven other educators on a trip to the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles in November. During the thought-provoking two-day experience, they toured the Holocaust Museum, the Museum of Tolerance, and heard stirring testimonies from Amram Deutch, a 93-year-old Auschwitz survivor, and from Terrence Roberts, one of the “Little Rock Nine” who, in 1957, was one of the first black students to attend classes at an all-white high school in Little Rock, Arkansas.

“My choice to join this group of nine was an act of bearing witness to the sacrifices of all those who have spilled their blood in the ongoing fight for equal rights in this country,” said Roberts. “My acceptance of the baton they passed along is my testimony to the future generations who must finish the work started by the ancestors we share in common.”

“What an honor it was to be witness to their personal testimonies,” said Hawing. “The resilience, positivity, humor and humanity expressed by both men were beyond inspirational. We also learned about systems and cycles of oppression, about addressing the ‘isms’ and not the ‘ists’ (i.e. focus on racism and not the racist), interrupting the cycle with courageous conversations and constructivist listening.”

Their facilitator was Alan Goff, from the UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies.

“What an incredible two days for which I am truly grateful,” said Hawing. “And I appreciate my colleagues who participated on this journey with me.”