Field Trips and Guest Speakers for Holocaust Lit @ LHS

At Lincoln High School, students in the Holocaust Literature class engage deeply with the histories  and impact of mass atrocity, both globally and within their own communities. The course includes units on the Holocaust, the Rwandan genocide, the genocide of Native Americans, and the Yazidi genocide.

This class pairs each unit with field trips or guest speakers that connect students with local stories and survivors. Students explore local Holocaust history through museum exhibits and archival testimony, study the impact of the nearby Genoa Indian Industrial School, visit the Great Plains Art Museum to analyze modern Indigenous artwork, and learn about the Yazidi genocide through collaboration with Lincoln’s Yazidi community, the largest in North America. These experiences offer students the opportunity to learn from and advocate for their neighbors, emphasizing that genocide is not a distant or abstract issue, but one with real human consequences close to home.

Holocaust Literature at Lincoln High takes a preventative approach, teaching students that violence is not inevitable and that small actions today can prevent mass atrocity later. By building empathy, critical thinking, and skills for genuine listening, students begin to see their role in interrupting patterns of dehumanization before they escalate to violence.

Funds raised will support transportation, museum admission, and payment for guest speakers. We are requesting $1,000 plus cost reimbursement to the Foundation.