Today was International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

As we take a moment to remember the millions of people a government decided to murder, we must also remember that this atrocity did not begin with mass murder.

It began with the Nazis pushing the narrative that all of the problems faced by the German people were caused by certain minority groups: by the Jewish and Romani, by socialists and communists, by the LGBTQ+, by the disabled, by the homeless.

It began by encouraging public harassment of these groups.

It began by passing laws making existence difficult and unpleasant as a member of these groups.

It began by creating an environment that would scare the Jewish citizens into emigrating out of Germany.

It began by forcing people into ghettos.

It began by naming all members of these groups and those who spoke out against such policies as “enemies of the state”, then arresting and imprisoning them without trial.

One of the goals of International Holocaust Remembrance Day is to remind us that this happened so that it Never Happens Again.

The two most important things we can do is to use what voice we have to openly say this is wrong and to focus on building up our communities, as our Minnesota cousins have demonstrated. If you have the means, please donate to the groups providing legal support to immigrants, to programs supporting access to affordable healthcare, or to your local food and homeless shelters.