From Swastika to Jim Crow: German Jewish Refugee Scholars Hired at HBCUs

From Swastika to Jim Crow tells the story of German Jewish scholars who joined the faculty at historically Black colleges and universities in the South and the challenges of leaving one oppressive society for another. In this discussion, documentarians Joel Sucher and Steven Fischler will share their process making the film, from working with local historian Gabrielle Edgecomb to interviewing retired professors such as philosopher Ernst Manasse who taught at North Carolina Central University for almost 40 years, and the students they mentored, including Obama administration advisor and economist Joyce Ladner.

There will be two ways to watch the film prior to the event: in person or online.

In person screening at the KHC:

• Wednesday, March 4 at 3:00pm EST
• Thursday, March 5 at 2:00pm EST

Online streaming:

Information on how to access the film online will be sent out 48 hours prior to the event.

The event is part of the 2025-26 Harriet & Kenneth Kupferberg Holocaust Center (KHC) and National Endowment for the Humanities Colloquium, "Resistance, Resilience and Reinvention: Artists and Academics Escaping Nazism." It is co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights at Rutgers University; the Reiff Center for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution at Christopher Newport University; the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center in White Plains; the Ray Wolpow Institute for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Crimes Against Humanity at Western Washington University; the Holocaust, Genocide & Interfaith Education Center at Manhattan University; the Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention at Binghamton University; the Human Rights Institute at Kean University; and the Queens College Center for Jewish Studies.

**To attend in person: In person programs take place at the KHC unless noted otherwise. Events are free and open to all, but registration ahead of time is required and visitors must show ID upon entering the campus at Queensborough Community College (QCC). On site parking is available and for directions to QCC’s campus, please visit https://www.qcc.cuny.edu/about/index.html#gettingHere. For elevator access, enter the QCC Administration building and follow signs for the Kupferberg Holocaust Center.

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