Florida Holocaust Museum Panel To Discuss
The Florida Holocaust Museum will present a community conversation : ‘The Power of Youth: Activism in Action’with Elizabeth Dearborn Hughes and Claire Sarnowski, youth activists who are making change happen in the world. The panel discussion will be moderated by trailblazer Gayle Sierens, Retired Co-Anchor, WFLA News Channel 8. The event is set for Saturday, Feb. 8, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Museum. Both panelists are award-winning activists who have achieved success in helping their causes.
Elizabeth Dearborn Hughes is the 2020 Loebenberg Humanitarian Award honoree, A Tampa Bay native, is the CEO and Co-founder of The Akilah Institute for Women, a college with campuses in Rwanda and Burundi that connect young women to economic opportunity. Elizabeth learned of the Rwanda genocide while a student at Berkeley Prep in Tampa and upon her 2006 college graduation, she moved to Rwanda. In 2010, Elizabeth and her husband Dave founded The Akilah Institute in Rwanda to provide education and career development to promising young female leaders.
Claire Sarnowski, 2020 Florida Holocaust Museum Legacy Award honoree, met Holocaust Survivor Alter Wiener as a fourth-grade student in the Oregon Public Schools. Alter spoke to her class about surviving five different concentration camps and losing most of his family. Following his presentation, Claire forged a special friendship with Alter, learning of his lifelong dream to implement mandatory curriculum standards for teaching students about the Holocaust and other genocides. Claire, as a high school freshman, reached out to her state senator who sponsored the bill. Because of Claire’s advocacy and persistence, the bill became law in June 2019 requiring that all Oregon students receive Holocaust education.
This ‘The Power of Youth: Activism in Action’ program is free to attend. The Florida Holocaust Museum is located at 55 5th St South in St. Petersburg. I you are interested in attending, RSVP online at here. Learn more about docent tours here.