Tom and Holly celebrated the Fourth of July at Disneyland this year!Welcome to Sparky’s Quill, your one stop blog for all things ASU, Arizona, US, and World History. I’m Holly, and I’m a senior history major with minors in religious studies and theatre. I am excited to start blogging about all of my favorite things again, especially Abraham Lincoln and Disneyland!
This summer I was fortunate enough to be back home in California and I had the opportunity to intern at the Museum of Tolerance. Holocaust history and civil rights are the two main focuses of this museum, using past and present instances of injustice as a tool for teaching tolerance. I had the amazing opportunity to meet some very influential people like Dr. Terrance Roberts. In 1957, nine black students enrolled in Little Rock High School in Arkansas. Roberts was one of those students. In his talk, he urged everyone to “read a book a week” and “take charge of your own education because no one is going to learn for you”. I’m going to try very hard to take his advice this year (as long as textbooks count).
I also visited Tom’s home town near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was one of my favorite trips that I’ve ever taken! Coming from California, there isn’t very much history around in everyday life. You have to go to specific places for that. In Philadelphia, your house could be filled with centuries of history.
Tom and Holly in front of Independence Hall. For an US history major, this definitely felt like a rite of passage.I visited Independence Hall (which is smaller than I expected), Reading Terminal Market, and the National Constitution Center (which has taken 2nd place on my favorite museum list). The best part? I had an authentic Philly Cheesesteak and it was the best food I’ve ever eaten in my life. Ever.
Hey guys, it’s Tom. I am a senior I am majoring in history and anthropology. This summer I, too interned at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. It was an amazing experience beyond my expectations. The fellow interns were wonderful to work with and we became good friends. We got to work on all kinds of projects for the museum and Holly and I even got to work in the Simon Wiesenthal Center Library & Archives. Simon Wiesenthal was a Holocaust survivor and esteemed Nazi-hunter. He is responsible for bringing thousands of Nazis to justice and for founding the Museum of Tolerance. In the archives, Holly and I discovered artifacts and documents dating mostly from the World War II era in Europe. One of my favorite parts of working in the museum was meeting and listening to Holocaust survivors. I heard stories I will never forget. Firsthand accounts of their histories are powerful and the pain that these survivors went through is unimaginable. The Museum of Tolerance was a great place to work and I learned a lot about history and about myself. History is life changing!
Holly and Tom relaxing at the Grove after a day in the Museum of Tolerance. Photo courtesy of Salomé Pascaud.Want to learn more about Sparky’s Quill? Have a historical question you need answered? Drop us a line at sparkysquill@gmail.com or find us on twitter @sparkysquill.
