Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives vol06 (Page 8)

THE VOLUNTEER, WINTER 1997-98

by Abe Osheroff

or the past 25 years one of my major
activities has been reaching out to young

people with the story and lessons of the
Spanish Civil War. Last year has been filled
with more of this fruitful activity than ever
before. After the Homenaje, inundated with
invitations, I did gigs at 11 high schools and
14 universities, among them Stanford, Ohio
State, Hamilton College, and (in my present
home city) the University of Washington.

Generally I am invited to film showings

and discussions, or to give lectures and
address other teachers' classes as a "visiting
scholar." Whatever the format I found young
people listening and capable of being inspired
if the material taught and the experiences
presented had relevance to their lives today.
Such an approach resulted in invitations to
address social work students at the
University of Washington and to deliver the
keynote address on Martin Luther King Day
at the Northwest High School in Seattle,
where the Spanish Civil War is a regular sub-
ject of historical study.

Culminating the year's lecturing at various places was

the offer to teach an entire course on the Spanish Civil War,
Spanish 310, at the University of Washington last fall. Some
30 junior and senior students enrolled, and many more had
to be turned away. In addition to historical readings, the
class studied poetry, listened to music, looked at posters, and
screened films. The high point came with the showing of The
Good Fight, followed by the personal appearance of three
more local Lincoln vets: Bob Reed, Adolph Ross and Dutch
Schultz. The students' admiration and respect was palpable
in their standing ovation, a small-scale Homenaje.

Teaching, at best, is like shooting arrows into the dark

without really knowing whether or not they hit the target.
To deal with this, I met each of my students, one on one, at
the end of the course. It felt great to learn that I had
reached the hearts and minds of most of them. Here is a
selection of their comments:

The element of greatest worth in this learning experi-

ence is the instructor. To have someone lecturing on the sub-
ject who can draw on his own experience is phenomenal.
Then when we had three guests, also veterans of the
Spanish Civil War, I was mesmerized. -- Jennifer Small

Being made to read history is very different from being

made to feel history. As a a student who hopes one day to
make teaching my career, I see in Abe the kind of teacher I
hope to be -- to offer students hope that they can change the

world by acting on their
ideals.--

Rachel Barnett

The ability of a veteran to

be true to his conscience was a
moving experience to witness.
On a personal level, these vets
lent names and faces to the sto-
ries of my Basque grandfather,
who lived in Pamplona during
the Civil War.

-- Mae

Miskimon

What I recognized in the

v e t s s h o w n i n t h e f i l m a n d
who came to class was their
personal integrity, by which I
mean the courage to carry out
beliefs in actual deeds, the
way these vets lived their lives.
--Christine Rhodes

I find it interesting that

people of color and women were
among the volunteers [who
went to Spain]. This class

seems like a radical change from the history I am accus-
tomed to. -- Sonja Hanson

Courage, in this class, was effectively presented as a

congruence of thought, word and deed. It was especially
applicable to those who took up the fight against fascism.
-- Josh Holm

I felt that [in this class] we learned just as much about

morality -- or at least acting on personal morals -- as we
did about history. -- Jennifer Mays

ow a few final words on ALBA, which helped make
all of my recent activism possible. Let's face it, our

ranks are thinning rapidly and soon VALB will no
longer be viable. How fortunate we are to have ALBA
and such able and dedicated friends as Peter Carroll,
Fraser Ottanelli, Cary Nelson and Tony Geist to keep
our banners flying. And hats off to Bill Susman, whose
creative thinking, foresight and hard work made ALBA
happen!

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Reaching the young, passing the torch

Abe Osheroff, teacher.

José Moreno

Lincoln Vet Abe Osheroff is a member of ALBA's

Board of Governors. His 1974 film, Dreams and Night-
mares, won several international prizes.

Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives - vol06 (Page 8)