Helen Suzman: Fighter for Human Rights
Florida Holocaust Museum, 55 5th St. S., St. Pete. Opens July 16 and runs through September 25, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. $16, with discounts for college students, students under 18 and anyone over 65. USF students, the USF military, kids under six and members get in free. 727-820-0100. flholocaustmuseum.org.
If you’ve never heard the name Helen Suzman, you’re not alone, but in the wake of de facto genocide happening in parts of our country and what some might call an imminent threat to muslims, minority groups and, well, pretty much anyone who isn’t Nothern European, now is the time to familiarize yourself with this hero of equality. This well-educated South African parliamentarian fought against apartheid because she happened to be a decent, extraordinary human being. We could tell you a whole lot more to her story, like how her parents fled Russia because they were Jewish and Russia kind of a dick to the Jews after WWI, or how she was one of 10 parliamentarians who formed the progressive party, which would ultimately help end apartheid in South Africa, but instead you should go see for yourself at an Helen Suzman: Fighter for Human Rights featuring her life story, letters, photos and other tokens of a life dedicated to ending hate.