Anton Treuer is presenting to students at Blake School. Contact: Anna Reid, areid@blakeschool.org.

In this presentation, author and scholar Anton Treuer shares his personal story of growing up between two powerful histories of survival. As the son of a Jewish Holocaust survivor who endured Nazi persecution and a Native American family rooted in Ojibwe culture, Treuer reflects on how these intertwined legacies shaped his identity, values, and understanding of genocide, resilience, and responsibility.

Drawing on family stories, lived experience, and historical context, Treuer explores how the Holocaust and the Indigenous experience in North America reveal both the devastating consequences of hatred, dehumanization, and silence—and the enduring strength of culture, language, and community. Rather than focusing on politics, the talk centers on human choices: how ordinary people respond to injustice, how trauma is carried across generations, and how hope can be rebuilt through remembrance, education, and empathy.

Designed for a Holocaust and Genocide Studies class, this talk invites students to think critically about history not as distant events, but as lived experiences with real-world consequences. Treuer challenges students to consider what it means to bear witness, to stand up for one another, and to help ensure that the lessons of the past guide us toward a more humane future.