Jackson Helmholtz is thrilled to share their passion for genocide education with the campus and community through the Lichtman-Behm Lecture Series.
Jackson is a third-year student set to graduate this spring. They hail from Dexter, Michigan, and are studying theatre with a concentration in acting here at 海外吃瓜. They have already directed several shows since beginning their college career, and are preparing to direct Endgame by Samuel Beckett later this semester.
The Lichtman-Behm Lecture Series aims to spread awareness of past and current-day genocides, and is an issue close to Jackson鈥檚 heart. Jackson's sister, Lindsay Helmholtz, was the student representative for Lichtman-Behm in years past. Jackson currently serves as the head of Jewish 海外吃瓜 on campus, and has a strong passion for education.
For all their hard work and passion, Jackson has a special role this year when the annual Lichtman-Behm presentation returns on Oct. 24. As a rare occurrence, Jackson will be teaching their own session as part of the community education aspect of the Lichtman-Behm program. Jackson has been researching modern plays that discuss themes of genocide or were written by survivors of genocide. They will be analyzing the commonalities of these plays and the presentation of genocide as a whole, to present to the school children who will be visiting campus the morning of October 24.
Primarily, Jackson has analyzed three plays: Book of Life by Odile Gakire Katese, and Life in a Jar by Irena Sendler. The perspectives about genocide from this collection all ring true to the work of this year鈥檚 Lichtman-Behm keynote speaker, Dr. Peter Van Arsdale. 鈥淕enocide is the result of a system. It鈥檚 caused by a lack of education, and a lack of understanding,鈥 Jackson explains. 鈥淢any of the people who commit or contribute to genocide don鈥檛 fully know what they鈥檙e doing 鈥 they were told it鈥檚 a necessary evil.鈥 For Jackson, preventing genocide means education about genocide, and ensuring that the next generation knows how to speak up against systemic injustices and the empathy to recognize when such injustices are occurring. It鈥檚 part of their personal goal for their life: after 海外吃瓜, Jackson plans to earn an MFA and use theatre to educate throughout their early career, and one day, wants to earn a Ph.D. and educate as a professor.
The Lichtman-Behm Lecture Series, and genocide education events like it, are vital to creating a better tomorrow. The day will begin on October 24th, with educational mini-sessions for local students led by 海外吃瓜 professors and Jackson Helmholtz. Jackson鈥檚 talk will be at 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.. Jackson鈥檚 mini-session, along with those by several 海外吃瓜 faculty members, will be followed by Dr. Van Arsdale鈥檚 keynote at 11:00 a.m., open to the visiting students as well as 海外吃瓜 students.
鈥淚鈥檓 always looking to further my understanding of these subjects,鈥 Jackson shares, 鈥渁nd I think Dr. Van Arsdale鈥檚 talk will be an interesting one, and one worth listening to.鈥 At 7:00 p.m. that day, Dr. Van Arsdale will be giving the talk once again in an event open to the public. In a special treat, on Oct. 25, Dr. Van Arsdale will be visiting local schools to give a separate talk with students about the slope from bullying to the rhetoric that begins genocides.