UAB Marks 20th Anniversary of the Fall of The Berlin Wall

Students, faculty and staff at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the public are invited to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall by writing their own impressions of this historic event on a replica of the wall beginning at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2 in the Heritage Hall first floor lobby.

 

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Students, faculty and staff at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the public are invited to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall by writing their own impressions of this historic event on a replica of the wall beginning at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2 in the Heritage Hall first floor lobby, 1401 University Blvd.

German instructor Erika Hille Rinker will lead a brief discussion followed by a screening of a short documentary film at 7 p.m. in Heritage Hall Room 125. The event is sponsored by the UAB Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. For more information, contact Rinker at ehrinker@uab.edu.

The Berlin Wall separated East and West Germany for almost 40 years. The wall was erected after people began leaving the Communist East Germany in droves to seek out better economic opportunities in the West. On Nov. 9, 1989, peaceful protests finally brought about the dismantling of the wall, which became a symbol for the end of the Cold War.

The replica of the Berlin Wall, which consists of two 8 feet by 4 feet drywall pieces, is being donated to UAB from the AlabamaGermany Partnership (AGP). This project is part of a national outreach effort organized by the German Embassy and the German Consulates General to celebrate the anniversary of the Berlin Wall's collapse.

The replica, marked with the graffiti of UAB students and others, later will be moved to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI), 520 16th St. North. It will be displayed with other replicas from the community for an event called "Freedom Without Walls: 1989-2009" at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9 in the BCRI. The event is sponsored by the AGP. UAB Professor of History James F. Tent, Ph.D., will be among the speakers.

About the AlabamaGermany Partnership

The AlabamaGermany Partnership develops and supports relationships and friendships between organizations and individuals with ties to Alabama and Germany and seeks to increase and improve business opportunities and foster cultural exchange.

 About the UAB Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures

The UAB Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures offers a full range of language, culture, literature and civilization courses that are designed to help students to understand the diverse global challenges of today.