FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — In honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the University of Arkansas held a dedication.
On Jan. 27, students and community members gathered to memorialize those lost in the tragic event and continue educating others.
While honoring those still here to tell their stories of survival, the university recognized a group of people who petitioned for a bill to never forget. The bill was called the International Holocaust Remembrance Education Bill.
“There’s a lot of importance today, it's international holocaust remembrance day. We are celebrating a legislative victory by dedicating the pen that was used to sign this bill into law here at the University of Arkansas because the university of Arkansas played a critical role in getting this legislation passed,” Toby Klein, a Ph.D. student said.
About a year ago, Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed the bill into law with both the House and Senate approved of the law. Starting fall 2022, it will be mandatory for Arkansas schools to teach their students about the facts about the Holocaust.
The group that petitioned the bill dedicated the pen Gov. Hutchinson used to sign the bill into law to the university but the event was about more than a pen. It continues the conversations about anti-Semitism in the world today.
“The saying goes, if we do not learn about the past we are bound to repeat it. We know that events like this unfortunately happen, and violence escalates and attitudes escalate,” Klein said.
The next steps now that the bill is law are to first gather Arkansas teachers who will create the ideal curriculum. After that the group says, it’s on to passing laws like this one in surrounding states.
RELATED: Hangry Pedaler NWA talks his favorite restaurants to visit off the Razorback Greenway trail
DOWNLOAD THE 5NEWS APP
DOWNLOAD FOR IPHONE HERE | DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID HERE
HOW TO ADD THE 5NEWS APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KFSM in the Channel Store.
For Fire TV, search for "KFSM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com.