Dr. Carol Lilly
associate professor of history, 308.865.8757
Rescue behavior during genocide or mass violence is the theme of the “Rescuers Project,” a photographic exhibit on display now through Thursday, March 15, at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
The “Rescuers Project,” which is a part of “PROOF: Media for Social Justice,” has works on exhibit in the UNK Health and Sports Center, Calvin T. Library and the Nebraskan Student Union.
“Through photography and narratives, the project is meant to deepen awareness and understanding of rescue behavior during times of genocide or mass violence,” said Dr. Carol Lilly, UNK history professor.
“During the last 20 years, countries around the world have been torn apart by ethnic, religious and political violence,” Dr. Lilly said. “Shattered social relations, mutual distrust, unhealed wounds, and narratives of hatred and revenge devastate communities, leaving them vulnerable to future outbreaks of violence.
“Peacemakers have long struggled to understand the causative factors leading to genocide and how to design ways to build in protective measures against this type of violence,” she said.
“The goals of the ‘Rescuers Project’ are to better understand the conditions that support compassionate behavior in the face of communal violence, and to encourage social healing, reconciliation and the prevention of further cycles of violence in societies recovering from mass violence through the promotion of positive narratives,” Dr. Lilly said.
“PROOF: Media for Social Justice” is an organization made up of photographers, documentarians, academics and creative people who use their work to reach out and educate with their images through exhibitions, publications and on-site activities.
