Through the Let Me Be Myself: The Life Story of Anne Frank exhibit, a tree-planting ceremony, and virtual webinars, Anne Frank’s story is taught, discussed, and kept alive at the University of Iowa.

“Teaching Anne Frank” brings experts across disciplines to explore the educational value and continuing relevance of her story.

WorldCanvass will kick off the 2022 University of Iowa Provost’s Global Forum “Teaching Anne Frank” with an expert panel discussing Anne’s life before and during captivity, the experience of the Jewish community living in The Netherlands under Nazi occupation, the impact her private diary has had on subsequent generations, and her place in both public history and the struggle for human rights.

February 28 - March 2, 2022, the University of Iowa will host scholars, experts, and researchers from around the world as part of the 2022 Provost’s Global Forum, "Teaching Anne Frank.”

On April 29, 2022, the thirteenth Anne Frank Tree will be planted on the northeast corner of the University of Iowa’s Pentacrest. Its arrival is due to the work of Frank scholar and UI German Department faculty member Dr. Kirsten Kumpf Baele.

In 1944, Anne Frank wrote about a chestnut tree she often glanced at through a window in the Secret Annex in which her family was hiding during the Holocaust. To Frank, the tree represented freedom and optimism that she would be able to enjoy nature once again.