Opinion

Auschwitz. Not Long Ago. Not Far Away

Story and Photos by Krystie Morrison kemorrison@lc.edu

One of the most notorious concentration camps opened in 1940 and held nearly 1.3 million people throughout the five years that it remained open. Out of all the concentration camps that were created in Europe, this was the most infamous of them all; Auschwitz.

TW: Some subjects in this article may be found disturbing by some. Please continue with caution.

Silence cloaked the room in the Bank of America Gallery at Union Station in Kansas City, MO. As you ride the escalator down to the gallery, you’re greeted by a massive world map with just one word on it: Auschwitz. As the people were taken in through the gates of Auschwitz, they were met by a giant gate with the words, “Arbeit Macht Frei,” which roughly translates to “work makes you free.” Not only were prisoners forced to work to death, but some were taken from the masses to have inhumane experiments performed on them by Dr. Josef Mengele, also known as the “Angel of Death.”

Prisoners would arrive by cattle cars to the concentration camp with most filled past capacity. One survivor recalls In the early 1940s, Europe was a very dangerous place that the soldiers would count to 150 and then close the to be if you were Jewish, Romani, or anyone else the doors behind them. They were only offered two buckets German regime considered to be “undesirable.” Under for the entire journey; one for water and one to use as a the direction of Adolf Hitler, SS soldiers were required to bathroom and there was no stopping on the way to the take these innocent people from their homes, camp. Many passengers did not make it to stripped of their rights, and made to wear see where the railway ended. badges on all of their clothes to be identified as the less desirable crowd. No one could even imagine what the future held in store for them. In the early 30s, antisemeitic propaganda became a part of daily life in Germany and no one questioned it. By the mid-1930s, the routine in the concentration camps was set in stone. All prisoners, including women and children, would be shaved bald, dressed in uniforms made of a coarse grey and blue

Top Left: At the beginning of the tour, guests are greeted by a giant map that pinpoints two locations; Kansas City, MO, and where Auschwitz is located in Europe. Top Right: As you travel further into the exhibit, you are greeted by giant concrete posts that were used for fencing at the Auschwitz camp. Bottom Right: One of the first original artifacts that you come face to face with is a wheel set from one of the cattle cars that carried deportees to camps. Photos by Krystie Morrison

Unfortunately for others, they made it to the end of the railway but were immediately pushed to the side and told they were going to the showers. What they did not know was that the showers were just a cover up. In a small concrete room, person after person was pushed in and told to take off all their clothes. Fake showers were provided to keep with the illusion that they were just there to have a shower and then they would be taken out again. This was not the case. Where they had just taken the prisoners was actually a gas chamber. Soldiers would be atop the roof, wearing gas masks as they lowered chemicals into the room that would spray out of the showerheads, killing hundreds of people at one time.

During the five years that Auschwitz was open, approximately 1.1 million prisoners were murdered in the camp by gas chambers, mass shootings, and torture. Out of all the people that were sent to Auschwitz, only 7,000 were liberated by Soviet forces. Most of them were very ill or close to death at the time of liberation.

“Auschwitz. Not Long Ago. Not Far Away,” offers a glimpse into those horrific five years. It contains hundreds of artifacts such as pictures, possessions from deportees, and even building materials used to construct the deadly concentration camps. The tour is self-guided and talks about each display and gives more information about who may have been associated with the particular item.

At the end of the exhibition, there is a room that has no artifacts on the floor. The only thing in this room are multiple projected screens of home videos from the countless lives that were lost due to being in Auschwitz. Entire families were decimated because of the heartless acts of violence that were carried out in Europe during the 1940s.

As you exit the gallery, there is a single quote:

“You who are passing by. I beg you. Do something. Learn a dance step. Something to justify your existence. Something that gives you the right to be dressed in your skin, in your body hair. Learn to walk and to laugh because it would be too senseless, after all, for so many to have died while you live doing nothing with your life.” - Auschwitz survivor Charlotte Delbo.

Left: A gas mask that was once worn by an SS soldier who was in charge of running the crematoriums that killed millions. Right: A quote from an Auschwitz survivor in 1988. Below: Ceija Stojka survived the Bergen-Belsen camp and became an activist who fought against Roma and Sinti genocide in the early 90s. She passed away in Austria in 2013 at the age of 79. Photos by Krystie Morrison

Top Left: Unlike other exhibitions, this one was delivered over portable audio devices. Each section had a number that was relevant to the current artifact guests were looking at.

Center Left: At the end of the war, a red dress shoe belonging to a deportee to the Auschwitz camp in 1940 was found. To this day, no one knows who the shoe belongs to or if the woman even survived.

Bottom Left: A belt buckle belonging to a member of the SS was found in Auschwitz after 1945. The buckle is dated between 1933 and 1945 and the inscription on the buckle simply reads, Meine Ehre heisst Treue, which translates to, “my honor is loyalty.”

Bottom Right: These mugshots are just a few of the 50,000 that were taken upon arrival at Auschwitz in the early 1940s. Only 30,000 mugshots survived after the war had ended.

Center Right: This chart shows the badges that concentration camp prisoners wore to be identified. Certain colors and shapes represented who they were and why they were in the camp.

Top Right: This chart shows the badges that concentration camp prisoners wore to be identified. Certain colors and shapes represented who they were and why they were in the camp.

Photos by Krystie Morrison

Top Left: In this photo, you can see a small locket, necklace, and a pair of glasses that belonged to some of the victims from the T4 program. Top Center: This type of uniform was used throughout the concentration camps for every prisoner. Sewn onto the left side of each uniform was a number and badge that described who you were and why you were in the camp. Top Right: To the naked eye, these may just seem like a normal pair of black boots. However, to survivors of the Holocaust, they are a symbol of fear. Above Left: These mugshots are just a few of the 50,000 that were taken upon arrival at Auschwitz in the early 1940s. Only 30,000 mugshots survived after the war had ended. Above Center: A quote from an Auschwitz survivor in 1988. Above Right: Ceija Stojka survived the Bergen-Belsen camp and became an activist who fought against Roma and Sinti genocide in the early 90s. She passed away in Austria in 2013 at the age of 79. Below Left: The shoes that belonged to victims were wooden clogs that would often cause sores and infections making it difficult for the men and women to work. Below Center: A storage shed that was located on the grounds of Auschwitz held things from deportees such as buttons, glasses, coins, and house keys that would never return to their owner.

Left: At the center of the exhibition lies a display that shows how large the area of Auschwitz was. On the walls, there are maps that show red lines which represent how far some had to travel in cattle cars of 150 people at one time to get to the camp

Bottom Left: Creating items was illegal in the camps and prisoners could lose their lives if caught. This doll was made for an unknown child in the camp.

Bottom Center: A child’s shoe sits in the middle of the room with two little socks tucked into the shoe for later use. Unfortunately, this shoe was found outside one of the crematoriums located at Auschwitz.

Bottom Right: Uniforms and coats were made with the same material. Prisoners would wear these clothes to work in the heat and also the frigid winters. Photos by Krystie Morrison Page 21

The Inaccessibility of an Accessible Campus

By Linsa Dean lndean@lc.edu

This sign establishing elevator priority is posted only on the first floor of Trimpe. Photo by Linsa Dean

March 2020 marked an important milestone in all our lives. The world stopped, confusion set in, and our pets had the best days of their lives with everyone home. My March was just as chaotic, but with an unexpected consequence. After contracting COVID-19 what used to be minor inconveniences to my daily life became inhibitors. I had had mobility challenges since I was 12 but had always been able to heal and move forward. I suddenly found myself permanently and increasingly disabled. I had been dealing with accommodations for years at other universities and knew I didn’t want to have to pull teeth to be able to complete my old degrees. My mother-in-law eventually encouraged me to look at Lewis and Clark.

By comparison to the universities I used to attend, Lewis and Clark is an “accessible campus.” The disability coordinators are extremely helpful, program directors and professors are willing to help you pass regardless of disability or need for accommodation. Getting help to start succeeding at Lewis and Clark was a breeze compared to my experiences in the past. I could sing the praises of my program director and current professors for days. I could not sing joyfully about the physical access to campus. The beautiful, elegant historical buildings and expansive gardens create a welcoming and enjoyable campus. The rolling hills, narrow sidewalks, and grand outdoor staircases are aesthetics I used to search for. I see campus for its beauty, but also its inaccessibility. Currently, I have most of my classes in Trimpe and one in Wade. However, over the summer I navigated Reid, Baldwin, Fobes, and Caldwell. I’ve seen the beautiful staircase in the Nursing building. Campus, for all its beauty and cool old stairs, also has elevators — a vital addition for mobility-impaired students like me. There are self-opening doors in many places, some even partially or fully automatic. However, I’m finding it hard to navigate campus as a mobility-impaired student.

To start with, while there are lots of accessible parking spaces, not all are van accessible or connect to a sidewalk. These two things are vitally important to the safety and accessibility of disabled students. Sidewalks also benefit able-bodied students by providing a safer place to walk than the road or grass. Along with this, the sidewalk ramps by Trimpe are broken, move beneath people’s feet, and splash water as they are stepped on.

A row of van-accessible parking on campus. Photo by Linsa Dean

A broken ramp on the west-side of Trimpe. Photo by Linsa Dean

The view a disabled student faces to get from Trimpe 280 & 290 to the far end of the building where the elevator is. Photo by Linsa Dean Right: Image of a barely accessible bathroom

Left: An accessible bathroom.

Photos by Linsa Dean

Next are the elevators. The one in Reid right outside the library is the first thing that comes to mind. It reminds me of riding the trams up the Arch when I was 12. It shakes, is slow, and honestly scares me a bit. The elevators throughout that building complex are old, and while they pass inspection, there is some concern with their quality. The elevator in Trimpe has a tendency to either open the door before the elevator has stopped moving fully or to not open until the “open door” button is pushed. This elevator also feels unstable as it likes to shift and move rather than securely stop. There is the matter of elevator placement, as well. Most buildings only have one, and in the case of Trimpe, it’s on the other side of the building from the accessible parking. According to the Google maps rendering of campus, many of the elevators are also distanced from the main entrance or tucked into a corner. Mobility impaired students using wheelchairs are also at a disadvantage, especially in older buildings. Bathrooms all have accessible stalls, but often the entrances to these restrooms are difficult if not impossible for wheelchair users to navigate. The entrances are also often shut with no accessible options to open the door. A student using a wheelchair would have to either travel out of their way to get to a bathroom they can access or hope that another student or staff member comes by to open the door. Several of the entrances are also too narrow to turn and navigate a wheelchair. In some buildings, like Trimpe, there is only one truly accessible bathroom (one female and one male), on the first floor of the building. Accessible meaning the entrances can be navigated without help and are sufficiently wide to allow use.

These are just some of the issues surrounding disability, both on campus and in the world. In general, campus, as public access, is required to adjust based on the ease of putting in the accommodation. But, with historic buildings, there is even more wiggle room to avoid overtly changing access and usability. I fully recognize that some of the issues talked about cannot be addressed without substantial financial support. By bringing them to light I hope to educate fellow students, staff, and maybe encourage the school to fix what issues they can.