Paper Clips

I was looking for something to watch on TV last night, and randomly stumbled upon a really good documentary on HBO. Paper Clips tells the story of an effort by a group of middle school students in Whitwell, TN to collect six million paper clips, to symbolize the six million Jews killed by the Nazis in the holocaust. I had read about this somewhere, but this hour and half long documentary traced the origins of the project and followed it as it ballooned beyond anyone's expectations. Ultimately they collected almost 30 million paper clips from around the world.

What struck me the most was the impact this project had on the community. It wasn't only the kids that gained an empathy for people with different backgrounds, but also the community as a whole. Its a reminder of how easy it can be to educate people to the dangers of intolerance and prejudice. It is quite a moving story, and I'm glad I discovered it.