CityView Magazine

arts Facing Fear S The story of Anne Frank is being used to discuss discrimination and bullying By Rebekah Sanderlin onja Rothstein heard about the bullying and gang problems troubling Cum- berland County Schools and knew what she wanted to do about it. Instead of lecturing children about the evils of bullying and gangs, why not introduce them to the biggest bullies in the history of the world, and let them see what effect those bullies had on a child, she reasoned. Rothstein decided she wanted local children to really experience the story of Anne Frank. ���I just thought it would be great to have the kids come through and show them that they don���t have to be intimidated and they don���t have to be afraid,��� she said. Rothstein, a devoted volunteer who has spent many years working to better the lives of Fayetteville���s children, knew from the start that her idea was unconventional, but she also believed it could work. She contacted The Arts Council of Fayetteville/ Cumberland County and The Anne Frank Center in New York and told them what she wanted to do. ���They loved it,��� she said. ���This time in history ����� the Holocaust ����� is so important to revisit and study, so we can understand how it was able to happen,��� said Mary Kinney, the marketing director for The Arts Council. ���This is not just an opportunity for people to see something, but for them to learn something as it relates to what is going on in our society and schools now. Hopefully this will be a springboard for discussions and change.��� Pretty soon Rothstein had recruited several friends to work with her and began raising money to pay to bring an exhibit on Anne Frank���s life from the Anne Frank Center. It was very important to Rothstein and the others that anyone who wanted to attend the exhibit be able to do so free of charge. Her zeal was catching and before long other organizations Photo credit: AFF/AFH ��� Basel/Amsterdam ( Anne Frank Fond - Basel / Anne Frank House - Amsterdam) CityViewNC.com | 23

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