William Alexander Scott III, who photographed the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp, is the primary focus of the exhibit “Witness to the Holocaust,” which will open at the Coastal Plain Regional Library April 1.

TIFTON — In partnership with the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust and the Georgia Public Library Service, the Coastal Plain Regional Library will host a touring banner exhibit visiting public libraries statewide in an effort to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and to promote public understanding of the history.

The exhibit, “Witness to the Holocaust,” will be on display at the Coastal Plain Regional Library, 2014 Chesnutt Ave., from April 1 through May 1. The exhibit highlights William Alexander Scott III, a World War II veteran and civil rights activist who served as a photographer in a segregated battalion of the United States Army. He witnessed and photographed the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany.

The exhibit also draws parallels between the 1860s-1960s Jim Crow Laws in the United States, and the 1935-1945 Nuremburg Race Laws implemented in Germany and Nazi controlled areas of Europe.

“The Georgia Commission on the Holocaust and Georgia’s public libraries offer a wealth of local and regional history for Georgia residents. Partnering to ensure the Holocaust and World War II are not forgotten is a natural decision so we can share this important history widely across our communities,” said Sally N. Levine, executive director, Georgia Commission on the Holocaust.

The exhibit tour officially launched on March 28, 2022, and runs well into 2025 visiting a total of 88 public libraries across Georgia. Library staff will have access to educational materials and reading lists for all ages provided by the Commission allowing them to develop programs and help patrons explore the lives of those affected by the Holocaust as well as the massive toll it took on society as a whole.

“We are honored to host this third and final exhibit in the Holocaust Exhibits tour series at our library,” said Sandy Hester, director of the Coastal Plain Regional Library System.

The current tour is not the first time Georgia’s public libraries have hosted exhibits from the Commission. The last tour was in 2013 and it ran for several years visiting all parts of Georgia.

“Witness to the Holocaust” will be on display at the Coastal Plain Regional Library System Headquarters from April 1 to May 1. The library is open to the public Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., and will also be open Saturday, April 13, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Find out about other library updates and news online at cprl.org, or on the library’s Facebook, Instagram, and X (Twitter) pages.