PROGRAM GUIDE
July - December 2025
The Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum is supported, in part, through the generosity of its members and donors, including Cinemark USA, Inc.; The Meadows Foundation; City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture; The Katz Foundation; Donald Family Designated Fund II; The David M. Crowley Foundation; The Roy and Esther Barzune Stein Endowment Fund; and Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas.
2025 PROGRAMS
JULY
Tuesday, July 8, 6 p.m.
Together We Dine: Building Bridges Across Communities
Friday, July 11, 1 p.m.
Summer Survivor Speaker Series
Sunday, July 13
2 p.m. Reception | 3 p.m. Program
From Generation to Generation: Preserving Family Testimonies
Tuesday, July 22, 12 p.m.
Chicano Civil Rights: Remembering the Crystal City Walkout
Friday, July 25, 1 p.m.
Summer Survivor Speaker Series
Sunday, July 27, 2 p.m.
Nothing About Us Without Us: Advancing Disability Rights in Dallas
AUGUST
Wednesday, August 6, 7 p.m. Destroyer of Worlds: Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the Atomic Bomb
Friday, August 8, 1 p.m.
Summer Survivor Speaker Series
Tuesday, August 12
6 p.m. Reception | 7 p.m. Program
When Visionaries Unite: The Historic Partnership of Booker T. Washington and Julius Rosenwald
July - December
SEPTEMBER
Tuesday, September 9
6 p.m. Reception | 7 p.m. Program
Funk Family Upstander Speaker Series –The Power of Hope: Jeanne Celestine Lakin
Wednesday, September 17
6 p.m. Reception | 7 p.m. Program
Special Exhibition Opening Program: Kindertransport – Rescuing Children from the Brink of War
OCTOBER
Date to be Announced Civil Discourse Series –Reimagining Immigration: Toward a Just and Functional System
NOVEMBER
Monday, November 10, 7 p.m.
What They Carried: The Journey of Ruth and Susanne Levy
Tuesday, November 18
5 p.m. Reception | 7 p.m. Dinner and Program 2025 Hope for Humanity Honoring Michael Berenbaum
DECEMBER
Sunday, December 7, 2 p.m. Film Screening: The Commandant’s Shadow
UPSTANDER FUNK FAMILY SPEAKER SERIES
The Funk Family Upstander Speaker Series showcases individuals and organizations who stand up for human rights on a local, national, or global level.
Named in loving memory of Blanche & Max Goldberg | Fannie & Isaac Funk
Anchor Series Supporters:
Series Sponsor:
THE POWER OF HOPE: Jeanne Celestine Lakin
Tuesday, September 9 | 6 p.m. Reception | 7 p.m. Program
In Person at the Museum
$10 per Person | Free for Members
At just 9, Jeanne Celestine Lakin was thrust into the horrors of the Rwandan Genocide Against the Tutsis, fleeing violent militias with her siblings and forced to survive in the wilderness. Despite the brutality and the tragic loss of her family, she discovered a wellspring of inner strength that led her to a path of resilience, education, and advocacy.
Today, Lakin has been appointed chairwoman for the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights International Survivors of Trafficking Advisory Council, acting as a formidable force against global human trafficking. Her contributions have influenced high-level United Nations events, furthering the cause of justice on an international stage.
Passionate about helping disadvantaged children, Lakin also established the nonprofit One Million Orphans, providing sustainable educational support to some of the most vulnerable children around the globe.
The Rwandan Genocide installation in the Museum’s Ten Stages of Genocide Gallery includes identity cards that marked Rwandans as Hutus, Tutsis, or Twas.
CIVIL DISCOURSE SERIES
The Civil Discourse Series presents multiple sides of a thought-provoking topic through respectful discussion. For each event, the Museum convenes a panel of experts who share their perspectives on an issue related to human and civil rights.
Reimagining Immigration: Toward a Just and Functional System
October Date to be Announced
In Person at the Museum | Free
Presented by
The issues of border security, unauthorized migration, and deportations fill headlines, yet the nuances and multifaceted factors underlying these issues rarely reach the public. In the latest iteration of our Civil Discourse Series, experts will provide valuable insights into how we can move beyond polarizing narratives and engage in a more informed, rational, and empathetic conversation about the future of immigration. Panelists will explore our history, analyze current policies, and share the human stories behind the statistics and rhetoric.
A BETTER LIFE FOR THEIR CHILDREN
Julius Rosenwald, Booker T. Washington, and the 4,978 Schools that Changed America
ON VIEW MARCH 7 – AUGUST 17, 2025
PRESENTED BY ANCHOR SPONSORS
PARTNER
iscover one of the most transformative initiatives in American history forged by Booker T. Washington, a Black educator and founder of the Tuskegee Institute, and Julius Rosenwald, a Jewish businessman and philanthropist. Between 1912 and 1937, their ambitious program partnered with local communities to build thousands of schools for Black children across the segregated South and Southwest. These schools countered the deep educational disparities of Jim Crow, had a profound impact on our nation, and fostered the generation who became civil rights leaders. Photographer Andrew Feiler was inspired to tell this remarkable story through his collection of photographs and stories, A Better Life for Their Children, which features images that capture these schools as they are today. Through portraits and stories from cities and towns in Texas and throughout the South, Feiler showcases the schoolhouses and the people for whom they meant so much.
Mississippi
Bay Springs School Forrest County,
1925-1958
TOGETHER WE DINE: BUILDING BRIDGES ACROSS COMMUNITIES
Tuesday, July 8 | 6 p.m.
In Person at the Museum | Free, limited seats available
Using the Museum’s special exhibition, A Better Life for Their Children, as the foundation for dialogue, join us for a courageous and safe conversation about race and ethnicity among total strangers. Led by a trained facilitator, participants share a light dinner while engaging in healthy and structured dialogue designed to foster trust, mutual understanding, and meaningful connection. By sharing beliefs and differences over a meal, the Together We Dine experience hopes to prove that what unites us is greater than what divides us.
Presented in partnership with
WHEN VISIONARIES UNITE: THE HISTORIC PARTNERSHIP OF
BOOKER T. WASHINGTON AND JULIUS ROSENWALD
Tuesday, August 12 | 6 p.m. Reception | 7 p.m. Program
In Person at the Museum | Free
The partnership between Booker T. Washington and Julius Rosenwald marks one of the earliest collaborations between Black and Jewish communities in America. Their shared mission to build schools for Black students across the segregated South reflected a visionary commitment to educational equality. Despite the constraints of Jim Crow, they forged a path for social change and education. Descendants of Washington and Rosenwald join us for a personal and insightful look into their ancestors’ shared beliefs in the power of education to transform lives.
Julius Rosenwald and Booker T. Washington
ON VIEW SEPTEMBER 18, 2025 — FEBRUARY 15, 2026
Kindertransport – Rescuing Children on the Brink of War showcases the astonishing rescue effort that, in nine months, brought thousands of unaccompanied children from Nazi-occupied Europe to the United Kingdom. Through personal artifacts, stories, and firsthand testimony, those who lived through the “Kindertransport,” German for “children’s transport,” tell its history.
The exhibition offers a moving look at the rescue effort, the painful choices parents made to send their children to safety, and the lives their children began in the United Kingdom. This exhibition serves as a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the importance of honoring the legacy of those who endured unimaginable suffering.
Kindertransport – Rescuing Children on the Brink of War was created and organized by Yeshiva University Museum and the Leo Baeck Institute – New York | Berlin.
Children from a Kindertransport after their arrival in Waterloo Station in London, February 2, 1939 (ÖGZ S 52 11)
SPECIAL EXHIBITION OPENING
Wednesday, September 17
6 p.m. Reception | 7 p.m. Program
In Person at the Museum | $10 per Person | Free for Members
In the wake of antisemitic violence perpetrated by Nazi Germany, Jewish charities and other organizations, private citizens, and the British government worked together on what became known as the Kindertransport. British families ultimately took in approximately 10,000 children fleeing persecution and death, the majority of whom would never again see their parents, who were murdered in the Holocaust.
Some of these children rebuilt their lives in the United Kingdom, while others emigrated to the United States, Israel, Canada, and Australia, carrying with them their legacy of loss, survival, and resilience. Melissa Hacker, executive director of the Kindertransport Assocation, joins us to honor the extraordinary efforts of those who saved thousands of Jewish children and reflects on the enduring impact of their actions.
WHAT THEY CARRIED: THE JOURNEY OF RUTH AND SUSANNE LEVY
Monday, November 10 | 7 p.m.
In Person at the Museum | Free
Join us for a powerful family presentation by Melanie Kuhr Myers, who will share the extraordinary story of her mother, Susanne Levy, who escaped Nazi Germany as a child on the Kindertransport, and her grandmother, Ruth Levy, who fought tirelessly to save them both. Through personal letters, official documents, and artifacts –including Susanne’s small monogrammed backpack – Myers will retrace their harrowing journey from Berlin to England, and eventually to the United States. Their story is one of survival, separation, and the strength of three generations of Jewish women. In remembering their path, we are reminded of the human cost of indifference—and the enduring power of hope.
Backpack used by Susanne Levy during the Kindertransport to England in 1939. Displayed in the Holocaust / Shoah Wing.
Dr. Berenbaum views the Holocaust by Bullets installation at the Museum.
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
5 p.m. Reception • 7 p.m. Dinner and Program
Hyatt Regency Dallas
Ann and Nate Levine Honorary Chairs
Barbi and Scott Cohen • Catherine and Sam L. Susser
Event Co-Chairs
Join us on Tuesday, November 18, when the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum bestows the Hope for Humanity award upon internationally renowned scholar Michael Berenbaum, Ph.D., for his dedication to teaching the history of the Holocaust. Dr. Berenbaum is a scholar, author, and leading voice in Holocaust education. He played a pivotal role in creating the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and served as exhibition project director for the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum. He was the first president and CEO of the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, which took the testimony of 52,000 Holocaust survivors. Through books, lectures, and award-winning films, Dr. Berenbaum has dedicated his life to remembrance and to inspiring future generations to stand against hatred.
DHHRM.org/Hope | events@dhhrm.org | 469-399-5202
Sponsorships start at $6,000. This is a fundraiser event benefiting the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING
CHICANO CIVIL RIGHTS: REMEMBERING THE CRYSTAL CITY WALKOUT
Tuesday, July 22 | 12 p.m.
In Person at the Museum | Free
Bring your lunch and join us to hear activist Diana Serna Aguilera share her experiences of the historic walkout that energized the Mexican American civil rights movement in Texas. On December 9, 1969, in the small farming community of Crystal City, Texas, Mexican American students sparked a civil rights movement that reverberated throughout the state. Underrepresented on the school board, barred from speaking Spanish in schools, and restricted from participating in cheerleading, the students staged a walkout. Ultimately, more than 2,000 students joined the strike, leading to national media attention. After students traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with legislators on the discrimination issues, City Council members reluctantly approved their demands.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Diana Serna Aguilera was born in Crystal City, Texas, about 125 miles southwest of San Antonio. In 1969, after the school board refused to address demands for fair representation, the Mexican American student body sparked a historic walkout in protest. Aguilera and two other Crystal City High School students met with federal legislators, including then U.S. Rep. George H.W. Bush, in Washington, D.C., about their concerns. These meetings resulted in federal intervention and investigation into what was occurring in Texas and elsewhere, and led to changes in the education system for Mexican Americans. Aguilera’s experiences as a youth activist profoundly influenced her career, leading her to study government and law. She worked for Dallas Independent School District for 27 years as a legal researcher with their attorney’s office and as an advocate promoting awareness of intercultural relations and sexual harassment in the workplace.
Sponsored by
This program is offered in conjunction with the Candy Brown Holocaust and Human Rights Educator Series, generously supported by Candy and Ike Brown.
NOTHING ABOUT US WITHOUT US: ADVANCING DISABILITY RIGHTS IN DALLAS
Sunday, July 27 | 2 p.m.
In Person at the Museum and Virtual via Zoom | Free
In honor of Disability Pride Month, hear from Dallas leaders as they reflect on the impact of advocacy and explore the future of disability rights in Texas and across the country. The disability rights movement of the ‘70s and ‘80s was led by disabled individuals who fought for accessibility, independence, and full participation in society. Their efforts led to the 1973 passage of the Rehabilitation Act, which prohibited discrimination based on disability in federal programs, and the 1990 signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These landmark laws ensure civil rights protections for people with disabilities in areas such as employment, transportation, and public accommodations. Today, the movement’s legacy continues to inspire efforts for equality, inclusion, and respect.
DESTROYER OF WORLDS: HIROSHIMA, NAGASAKI, AND THE ATOMIC BOMB
Wednesday, August 6 | 7 p.m.
Virtual via Zoom | Free
In 1945, the United States detonated atomic bombs over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima on August 6 and Nagasaki on August 9. Marking the only use of nuclear weapons in warfare, the dropping of these bombs led to Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II. The bombings resulted in the immediate deaths of between 150,000 and 246,000 people, and left lasting physical and psychological scars on those who survived. Historian and author M.G. Sheftall joins us virtually from Japan to explore the aftereffects of the bombings, share the voices of survivors, and examine the ethical and moral considerations surrounding the use of the atomic bomb.
Presented in partnership with
ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING
SUMMER SURVIVOR SPEAKER SERIES
Select Fridays | 1 p.m.
In person at the Museum and virtually via Zoom | Free
Join us to hear the testimonies of Holocaust survivors, refugees, hidden children, and second-generation speakers.
July 11, July 25, and August 8
FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION: PRESERVING FAMILY TESTIMONIES
Sunday, July 13 | 2 p.m. Reception | 3 p.m. Program
In Person at the Museum | Free
Capturing a loved one’s story can feel overwhelming — but it doesn’t have to be. In this workshop, the Museum’s Director of Library & Archives will guide participants through the basics of interviewing family members, offer practical tips for collecting oral histories, and share simple strategies for preserving family stories for future generations.
Program supported by Marsha Gaswirth.
FILM SCREENING: THE COMMANDANT’S SHADOW
Sunday, December 7 | 2 p.m.
In Person at the Museum | Free
Follow Hans Jürgen Höss, the 87-year-old son of Rudolf Höss, camp commandant of Auschwitz and mastermind of the murder of more than 1 million Jews, as he faces his father’s terrible legacy for the first time and meets survivor Anita Lasker-Wallfisch. While Jürgen enjoyed a happy childhood in the family villa at Auschwitz, Anita was trying to survive the notorious concentration camp. At the heart of this film is the historic and inspiring moment –eight decades later – when the two come face-to-face.
PROGRAMS FOR EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS
SUMMER STUDENT DISCOUNT
The Museum is proud to offer student tickets for $6, a 50% savings, through August 31, 2025. Valid in person and online, this discount applies to anyone 18 years old or younger or those with a valid student ID.
HOMESCHOOL DAYS
Tuesday, October 7 | Tuesday, November 11 | Tuesday, December 9
In Person at the Museum | $15 per Person
Join the Museum’s educators for a day of learning for homeschool students. Activities include a tour of the Museum’s permanent exhibition, a Dimensions in Testimony experience, and an interactive classroom program.
CANDY BROWN HOLOCAUST AND HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATOR SERIES
Generously supported by Candy and Ike Brown
This series allows educators, librarians, and counselors to connect with the Museum throughout the year on different topics related to the Museum’s educational mission and the history in the core exhibition. Registration is $20 per session. Scholarships are available for attendees from Title I schools.
Each session comes with:
• Keynote speakers and access to exclusive events
• Upstander tote bag
• Classroom resource kit
• Access to Upstander Education Database
• CPE credit
• Free parking in Museum garage
Summer and Fall 2025 Sessions
Teaching Ethnic Studies | Tuesday, July 22
Explore resources and learn new strategies to teach the TEKS-aligned ethnic studies course from experienced educators and keynote experts.
Teaching Human Rights | Saturday, October 18
Join us for resources and strategies to teach human and civil rights. This session is in partnership with the Bill of Rights Institute.
For more information about other professional development programs and options for educators, please email education@dhhrm.org.
MEMBERSHIP
Become a Museum member and receive exclusive benefits and early access to programming. Starting at $60, membership includes free admission and parking, program discounts, access to our digital content, and more! Members receive a discount online or in the Museum Store.
Member support ensures that the lessons of history live on. By sharing this history,the Museum encourages Upstander behavior and teaches each of us how to make a difference. 469-399-5210 | DHHRM.org/membership
“Being able to attend and visit the Museum was a truly emotionally and enlightening experience… Thank you for supporting the education of people and becoming the true legacy of humanity.”
- Mikayla, 10th Grade Student, Lakeview Centennial High School