Rosemarie Wilkinson
Raritan High School, Hazlet, New Jersey
2008 China Study Tour Participant
I began this experience
with the expectation that I would enhance my understanding of the cultural
and historical background of
The trip was well
planned, and our hosts could not have been more accommodating and
hospitable. We were welcomed at
universities, museums and hotels by our hosts in each city.
Now that I am home, I have a network of educators who are continuing
to address the critical issues related to the Japanese atrocities against
the Chinese from 1931 to 1945.
The call for an acknowledgment of the crimes committed by the Japanese, an
apology for the victims, and compensation for slave labor are included in
issues that are being addressed today.
I made many connections
to the events of the holocaust and other genocides.
It reminded me that we are all involved in the human experience and
no one people is alone in their suffering.
The stories of the victims, perpetrators, rescuers and bystanders in