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Touch History and Listen to History: A Lecture Given by Ms. Betty Barr

April 30, 2021

On the afternoon of April 28, Ms. Betty Barr, an old friend of SHSID, came to the recording room of the Zhengtao Building to give a lecture to the students from the middle and high school. The students filled the room and showed their respect to this 88-year-old lady who lived in the Lunghwa Internment Camp with her family from 1943 to 1945. Mr. Sven Serrano briefly introduced the camp which had been run by the Japanese to house the American and British civilians during WWII with historical maps and images.

Then, Ms. Betty Barr said “Hello” in Shanghai’s native language with kind regards. Later, she introduced her family, the primary school she went to, and her childhood experiences in the camp. She also brought some plates which her family used in the camp and passed them among the students. By touching the plates, the students seemed to get closer to that time period. They became very curious about the life in the camp and asked many interesting questions: “Did theft ever happen in the camp and was there any punishment for that? How did people get the updated news about the war? Were there any entertainment activities in the camp? How were the Jews treated? Could they practice their faith? Did she make friends in the camp and did she keep in touch with them after 1945? Does she keep in touch with them now?” Ms. Betty Barr answered all of the above questions with great patience and humor, which was replied with applause from the students.

Finally, Ms. Betty Barr expressed her expectations to the young generation. She encouraged them to work for peace and prayed that a world-like war never comes again. Her lecture helped the students know more about the history of their school during WWII and also experience the charm of oral history.

(Written by Shen Zhou Pictures by Shen Zhou)