HMMSA Patches program highlights Uyghur genocide and a woman’s journey to find her sister
August 3, 2021
On Sunday, November 7th, the Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio, in partnership with the Federation’s Jewish Community Relations Council, will host its annual program, Patches: Others Deemed Dangerous or Inferior program from 1 – 4 pm. This event highlights other groups victimized by the Nazis during the Holocaust. This year the Holocaust Memorial Museum of San Antonio has reached outside of specific aspects of the Holocaust to raise awareness of a modern-day genocide occurring to the Uyghur people in Xinjiang, an autonomous territory in northwest China.
The Uyghurs are one of China’s 55 officially recognized ethnic minorities. The U.S. State Department has declared the Chinese government’s treatment of the Uyghurs a genocide. A report by the U.S. State Department documents the arbitrary imprisonment of more than one million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities, forced sterilization, torture, murder, and forced re-education programs, all with the underlying goal of erasing the Uyghur people, their culture, and their religion.
The event will include the streaming of the documentary film, “In Search of My Sister,” with a special introduction by the film’s producer, Jawad Mir. The film tells the story of Rushan Abbas, an American Uyghur Activist who chronicled her search for her sister when she was detained by the Chinese Communist Party. Her sister is one of 2-3 million Uyghurs who have been taken to concentration camps in China.
You can view the trailer to film using the link before the event. https://vimeo.com/432570395
A panel discussion will follow featuring: Rushan Abbas, Founder and Executive Director, Campaign for Uyghurs, Julie Millsap, Director of Public Affairs and Advocacy, Campaign for Uyghurs; and representation from the Texas legislative delegation.
Registration information can be found online at hmmsa.org.