The U.S. suddenly has broad awareness of both systemic racism and the fact that only similarly broad participation will end it. It is uplifting but, privately, we may well wonder if we have the courage to take the actions needed to create the change we want. See “My Italian Secret” and take heart.
Per their website: “This incredible true story features cycling legend Gino Bartali, Dr. Giovanni Borromeo, and other Italians who risked their lives and carried out ingenious schemes to rescue Jews, partisans, and refugees from Nazi-occupied Italy.”
By 1945, two thirds of Jews living in Europe had been killed. By contrast, 80% of Jews in Italy survived. What made this extraordinary difference? The liberation of Southern Italy in 1943 gave Jews a destination with safety if they could reach it. But Italian individuals took action to save Jewish refugees and native Italian Jews starting even earlier, when the Italian government first revoked their rights (1938), and then later when, with Nazi forces, it rounded them up for transport to extermination camps. Ordinary citizens put their own lives and those of their families at risk in order to save the lives of others.
There is a great educational non-profit named Facing History and Ourselves. They say: “People make choices. Choices make History”.
See “My Italian Secret”. You’ll hear how ordinary people decided to do extraordinary things. They used what they had: Their positions, their assets, their access to information. The insights are relevant to today: We each have moral choices to make about the role we will play in creating an equitable society. It can seem complex. These stories show that those choices can be very clear, very simple.
See it: Amazon Prime Learn More: https://myitaliansecret.com
Better You Value: Extraordinary Ordinary People**** Stories *** Society *** History ** Helps You as a Change Agent**
