Anne Frank: A History for Today Exhibition!
On Thursday 30th January 2020, 13 Year 9 students visited Teesside University Anne Frank: A History for Today Exhibition. The exhibition was brought to Middlesbrough by the Anne Frank Trust UK, and was on display throughout January, marking the 75th Anniversaries of the liberation of Auschwitz-Berkenau (27th January 1945) and Bergen-Belsen (15th April 1945). Placing complex historical events against the backdrop of the life of one young person, (the same age as our students while she was in hiding from the Nazis in the 1940s), Anne Frank: A History for Today enabled us to gain a greater understanding of the terrible human consequences of persecution and war. Two trained guides from the university provided a dialogue, taking us through Anne’s story, from her birth in Frankfurt, Germany in 1929, to her death in Bergen-Belsen at the age of 15. We also had time during a seminar to reflect, ask questions, and discuss the issues of Anne’s time, as well as those of today. The exhibition challenged us all to consider the contemporary relevance of this dreadful period in twentieth-century history and enable a greater understanding of the steps that we can take as individuals to prevent the rise of prejudice and discrimination in our own communities.