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Some Stories are Hard to Hear

5/22/2017

1 Comment

 
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Some stories are hard to tell. Some stories are equally hard to hear, but they need to be shared. How does one begin to share a difficult story of abuse, neglect or the horrors and atrocities of war?  It is well documented that people shut down or turn away when stories are too overwhelming.  So how do you reach people when they don't want to listen or when words are too much?  

Jeanne Hewell-Chambers, the founder of the 70,273 project shares a horrible story in a creative way. Her approach enticed me to learn about more about a difficult subject. I'll share how I learned about the project. 

May is mental health awareness month and I recently attended a forum on Mental Health Awareness at the Traverse City governmental building (see earlier blog post).  From across the room I spotted an artistic quilt display featuring bright red xx's on a white background with the caption, ""70,273  Project."  Intrigued,  I made my way to that information table.  What I quickly learned was 70,273 was the number of "disabled" persons who were murdered by the Nazi's between 1940 and 1941.  Doctors, working for the Nazis, were asked to read case studies about people with disabilities. They were asked to judge whether this person was an asset or detriment to society.  Each case was read by three doctors.  If two doctors put an X next to the person's file, this meant they were deemed not productive to society and were rounded up and murdered.  

Jeanne Hewell-Chambers: writer, stitcher, and storyteller learned of this horrible crime while viewing the film 
Auschwitz: The Nazis and 'The Final Solution.  She decided to share this story by creating Project 70,273.  She is collecting a quilt block for each disabled person murdered by the Nazis between 1940-1941.  Not only does it share this story in a way that can be heard, it also serves as a loving memorial to those who were murdered.   

To learn more about this project and how you can participate, visit the  facebook page or website at thebarefootheart.com.  And yes please share this story!

 



1 Comment
Jeanne Hewell-Chambers link
5/26/2017 03:14:03 pm

Rebecca, There is so much for me to be glad and grateful about here . . . that Traverse City, MI held a forum dedicated to Mental Health Awareness; that Suzanne was there to represent The 70273 Project; that you attended, spied the quilt, and followed your curiosity; that you took the time to pen and post this article. It's hard to believe such an atrocity as Aktion T4 occurred, yet we can't bury our heads in the sand. Like you say here, the intent is not to lambast the Nazis, but to commemorate the 70,273 people who were so callously murdered and in doing so, to celebrate those with special needs who add such joy and dimension to our lives today. Thank you, from one Glad and Grateful Jeanne.

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    Rebecca Glotfelty, RPM's Executive Director shares Real People Media News and information related to storytelling! You are welcome to comment!
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