Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Purdue Fort Wayne receives Never Again Ambassador Award at state event

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Purdue University Fort Wayne has been presented with the Never Again Ambassador Award in recognition of its leadership and commitment statewide. A public announcement came Thursday at the Statehouse during the 24th Annual State of Indiana Holocaust Remembrance Program. Accepting the award was Steve Carr, institute director and professor of communication at PFW.

This marked the third time awards were given to individuals and organizations working to preserve the memory and lessons of the Holocaust for residents of Indiana. The Never Again Ambassador Award recognizes a person or entity exhibiting excellence in education and the creation of meaningful spaces for both the memories and lessons of the Holocaust so that such atrocities never happen again.

“As director of the only academic center of its kind in Indiana exclusively devoted to the study of the Holocaust and other genocides, I am both appreciative and deeply humbled to receive this recognition on behalf of the institute,” said Carr. “At a time when antisemitism and Holocaust distortion is on the rise, and when our collective access to direct eyewitness testimony of the Holocaust continues to recede, the institute is fortunate enough to benefit from our many outstanding community and national partners in meeting 21st century challenges in Indiana and elsewhere to ensure that ‘Never Again’ truly means never again.”

The remembrance program was hosted by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Indiana Holiday Commission, the Indiana Civil Rights Commission, and the Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council. A special emphasis on women from the Holocaust was featured at this year’s event.

In September, the institute at PFW was awarded $10,000 in funding from the national organization Every Campus A Refuge. According to its mission statement, ECAR works to "mobilize colleges and universities to host refugees on campus grounds and support them in their resettlement." Currently, Purdue Fort Wayne has the only officially designated ECAR chapter in the Midwest.

According to Carr, the institute is also partnering with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to host a teacher conference in June.

For additional information, or to learn more about Purdue Fort Wayne’s Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, contact Carr at [email protected] or 260-481-6545.