In partnership with Virginia Beach City Public Schools, “Freedom Without Walls” takes place 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 9. Evening event begins at 7:30 p.m.
Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Va. – Virginia Wesleyan College, in partnership with Virginia Beach City Public Schools, will host “Freedom Without Walls,” a celebration of the 20-year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on Monday, Nov. 9, 10:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., in the Convocation Center of the Jane P. Batten Student Center. A separate evening event, for college students and adults, will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Shafer Room of the Boyd Dining Center.
More than 500 Virginia Beach high school students taking German, along with 50 German teachers, chaperones and school principals, will remember and celebrate the fall of the Wall. The day includes a presentation of speakers who witnessed the construction and destruction of the Wall. Students will also engage in wall-themed competitions and games, construct (and later destroy) a representative wall, with live media connection to Berlin, and hear from special guests, including those from NATO and the Honorary Consul of Germany.
“This is a wonderful collaborative event involving Virginia Wesleyan College and Virginia Beach City Public Schools,” said Professor of German and Coordinator Dr. Susan Wansink. “Having the Virginia Wesleyan community and high school students come together is a great way to educate and celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the fall of the Wall.”
Both the day and the evening event include two unique guest speakers who will present different perspectives on “Freedom Without Walls.” These events are free and open to the public.
James S. Buddo, Jr., served as a company commander in Berlin with the 2nd Battle Group, 6th Infantry from January 1960 through July 1963. After August 13, 1961 (the day the Berlin Wall was erected), Buddo spent many hours patrolling “The Wall.” As an additional duty, Buddo commanded the Battle Group's Honor Guard when President Kennedy visited Berlin.
Tanja Roeschke will share her vivid memories of growing up in East Berlin. She was 12-years-old when the Wall came down. Like many of the people in her section of Berlin, her father worked with the Stasi, the Communist State Security Police. Roeschke remembers food and supply shortages as a child in Communist Germany. Since the fall of the Wall, she has become a leader of the Christian outreach church RESET in Berlin.
For more information, contact Dr. Susan Wansink at swansink@vwu.edu or 757.455.3235.
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