University of Iowa students, faculty, and staff, as well as the general public are invited to view a traveling exhibit commemorating the heroism of a German student movement that urged nonviolent resistance to the Nazi government in 1942-43.

The “White Rose” exhibit tells the story of an underground campaign led by a group of students at the University of Munich, who wrote, published, and distributed leaflets denouncing the Hitler regime and urged fellow Germans to oppose Nazi ideology and crimes, including the genocide of Europe’s Jews.

The exhibit will be on display May 2-30 in the lower level atrium at the UI College of Public Health Building, 145 N. Riverside Dr., in Iowa City. Admission is free and open to the public during regular business hours.

The White Rose, or “Weiße Rose,” resistance group included University of Munich students Hans Scholl, his sister Sophie, and their friends Willi Graf, Alexander Schmorell, and Christoph Probst, along with professor Kurt Huber. In 1943, after distributing several messages advocating peaceful resistance, members of the group were arrested by the Gestapo, tried, and executed. Following the executions, the final White Rose leaflet was smuggled out of Germany and copies were air dropped over Germany by Allied planes.

“Members of the White Rose group shared a passionate commitment to ethics and morality although they came from a range of religious backgrounds,” said Professor Elizabeth Heineman of the Department of History in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS). “This exhibit is a reminder that human rights don’t come cheap: they require courageous people to defend them.”

Several activities related to the White Rose exhibit are planned, including visits by area high school student groups and a special reading by Christopher Merrill, director of the University of Iowa International Writing Program. Merrill’s reading will take place at Iowa City’s Prairie Lights bookstore on May 20. A screening of the film, “Sophie Scholl: The Last Days,” is planned at a date to be determined.

The White Rose exhibit is presented by the White Rose Foundation e.V. of Munich, Germany. Locally, the exhibit is sponsored by the Agudas Achim Congregation of Iowa City/Coralville; the UI Center for Human Rights in the College of Law; the UI College of Public Health; and the UI German Department and the UI Division of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures, both in CLAS. Additional support is provided by the German American National Congress (DANK); the Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines; New Pioneer Coop; Prairie Lights Books; Shulman Hillel; and the Thaler Holocaust Memorial Fund. Individual supporters include Glenn Ehrstine and Kathryn Kurth.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all UI-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to attend this exhibit, contact Ryan Bell in advance at 319-384-1500.