When I was in the eight grade, I learned about the Holocaust for the first time. I went to the William Breman Jewish Heritage & Holocaust Museum in Atlanta, Georgia and nearly burst into tears. I could not believe that people were treated so horribly during World War II and that no one did anything about it for a long time. After I visited the Holocaust Museum, my teacher asked my class to write a letter to Anne Frank and tell her how we felt. I thought I lost the original copy forever until I was able to convert it from its original form. Here's my letter to Anne Frank that was difficult for me to write and has shaped my values that I still have to this day.

Dear Anne,

Some feelings I have about the Holocaust are sadness, anger, and disgust. I also feel very sorry about what happened to your family and the others living in the Secret Annex. Some things I learned about the Holocaust are that men were forced to work in German camps, Jewish children were sent to schools for Jews, and that Hitler was Catholic. I think the Holocaust is a bad part in history because it was not fair for innocent people to die just because of someone else’s prejudice towards others.

I will spend the rest of my life carefully because I do not want anything like the Holocaust to happen ever again. I will also not judge others by the color of their skin, race, or the way they speak. I will also love people for their personalities and not for their appearance. I will not even care about what religion or nationality they have, but I will care for them as an individual. These are all the things I promise to do for the rest of my life.

Love,

Maatii K. Dungy

My experience from the William Breman Jewish Heritage & Holocaust Museum sticks with me to this day because it showed me how fortunate I am to be alive and free to be myself. Seeing real artifacts from World War II was surreal and a little frightening. I say that because seeing the shoes and advertisements from that time made it real and easier to see that the Holocaust really happened. It was also interesting to hear survivor's stories about their experiences. I pray that something like that will not happen again. If you enjoyed my letter, please share with others.