Standing Up to Hate: Kendall Chew of the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center
"We should always be mindful of what perpetuates hate and stand up to it," says Kendall Chew, who promotes learning lessons from the Holocaust. Meet our newest FACE of Birmingham.
If weβre not careful, important history can and will be forgotten. Kendall Chew, outreach coordinator for the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center (BHEC), firmly believes this. Itβs why she joined the Centerβs team, which aims to preserve and share the stories of local Holocaust survivors. As outreach coordinator, Kendall manages a long list of programs for the BHEC. And by documenting and sharing firsthand accounts of Holocaust survivors, Kendall is doing her part to ensure that future generations understand what happened so long ago and will seek understanding and acceptance rather than discrimination. Through her work with the BHEC, Kendall has had the chance to get to know survivors who now live in Birmingham and the surrounding region. Hearing their stories, she says, is a privilege she doesnβt take lightly.
Kendall exemplifies what it means to champion justice and unity while working to make a lasting, positive impact on the community. If you ever have the chance, stop by the BHEC and learn about the great things they are doing to show us all what it means to live in harmony.
For now, meet todayβs FACE of Birmingham, Kendall Chew!
How did you begin working at the Holocaust Education Center?
Long story short, I worked here in 2016 through 2017 for about 10 months and had an opportunity at the Alabama Humanities Foundation I couldnβt pass up. But the former BHEC Interim Executive Director lured me back to BHEC, and Iβm so glad she did!
Why do you think itβs important to have something like BHEC in Alabama?
I donβt know where to start with this question, except to say that there are people, particularly in this current generation of students to young professionals, who have startlingly limited knowledge of what the Holocaust is β and I include myself in these statistics. While I have a masterβs in history, I did not have a solid foundation in Holocaust education from my public school education. Because BHEC came to my classroom in my 11th-grade year of history, I had more information at my fingertips. The teachers we work with truly have to go out of their way to insert what we have to offer into their curriculum. This should be a much more extensive lesson in the classroom because the ideas, concepts and powers that kept the Holocaust alive for so long are not old, new or unfamiliar structures. They are still very present in our current national and international cultures, and we should always be mindful of what perpetuates hate and stand up to it.
Whatβs one way that working at BHEC has personally impacted you?
Getting to travel, talk to and socialize with Holocaust survivors every week cannot be beaten, and that is part of my job! We did this work for them and because of them. But, even better, we do it with them. They are a truly determined group of people who know how vital it is for them to tell their stories of survival, regardless of how hard it is to rehash. The amount of trust and encouragement I get from this organization, its board and the survivors is overwhelming, and I truly thank each and every one of them for believing in me. It has empowered me more than I ever thought it could.
Why would you encourage locals to visit the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center?
We cannot let the lessons of the Holocaust die away with time. This is how history repeats itself. If you ask most of our survivors in Alabama, they would say that they never would have thought something like the Holocaust could happen. But it did. That makes it a very real concept that no group, community, race, ethnicity, faith or culture is immune to it happening to them. If we do not engage in our local civil and human rights organizations, museums and community groups, these lessons and histories will fade away. That is why you must visit the BHEC.
Our exhibit βDarkness Into Lifeβ highlights the lives of Alabama survivors, and through those stories, the massive concept of 6 million Jews and 5 million others [who were Holocaust victims], including 1.5 million children, comes to life and hits very close to home.
Where did you go to school?
I graduated in 2004 from Mountain Brook High School, UAB in 2008 with a B.A. in Art History and UAB in 2010 with an M.A. in History.
Whatβs your favorite book?
To Kill A Mockingbird β I have a Mockingbird tattoo, and my dog is named Harper Lee, so Iβm serious!
Favorite movie?
Rear Window
Describe your perfect Birmingham weekend β where would you go, what would you eat, who would you see?
This literally could be my itinerary from Friday afternoons through Saturday nights: Cahaba Brewery after work; Filling Station pizza for dinner; the farmersβ market Saturday morning; Rojo for brunch; maybe Trim Tab Brewery and Chez Lulu for Saturday night dinner, sitting outside. Itβs the only place I can go in the city and be transported back to Paris.
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What is your best piece of advice?
Patience truly is a virtue, but it is also so important because things do not happen when you want them to, and thatβs okay. With patience comes calm, awareness and giving yourself a break. This life is too, too short. Enjoy it. Wait for it. Itβs worth it.
With the exception of faith, family and friends, what are three things you canβt live without?
My list is pretty silly but true! ChapStick (none of the fancy stuff), caffeine and Corgis β yes, Pembroke Welsh Corgis like Harper Lee, my dog.
Thank you, Kendall! To learn more about Kendallβs work and the initiatives and exhibits of the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center, visit bhecinfo.org.
Thank you to Charity Ponter ofΒ Charity Ponter PhotographyΒ for todayβs beautiful photography.
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Sarah Cook
When she's not writing, you'll find Sarah Cook McBride at a local concert, hiking a nearby trail or indulging in a scoop of Big Spoon Creamery ice cream.