Images Courtesy of Mia Farrow
Tens of thousands of activists are trying to do nothing less than change the way the world responds to genocide — transforming "never again" from a promise we make to a commitment we keep. At a time in which the situation looks ever bleaker for Darfur and many in the international community continue along a path of indifference, we should commemorate this hard work.
We may never know what might have happened in Darfur had anti-genocide activists not risen to the occasion, but we do know that the only reason — the only reason — that political leaders have taken the steps they have is because of your efforts. In the end, we will stop genocide, but that will not bring back those who have been killed, nor excuse the inexcusable inaction of the world. Yet if even one life has been saved, it will have been enough. I hope you take some measure of strength and inspiration from these stories of grassroots anti-genocide action — and continue to fight, until the genocide is over.
In Memory of Emily
On Sept. 17, Emily Cornish — a member of the Amnesty International Club at her high school — was in Manhattan attending the Save Darfur Rally in Central Park. She was handed a pamphlet publicizing DarfurFast and suggested to her friends that they participate in the campaign.
Hours later, she was killed in a car accident.
In her memory, students at Yorktown High School in Westchester, N.Y., decided to raise money to help end the genocide. On Oct. 5, they set up a table in the school cafeteria and proceeded to raise over $750 for the Save Darfur Coalition as part of DarfurFast.
Emily did not get a chance to participate in DarfurFast herself, but her passion while living inspired Yorktown High School students to become anti-genocide activists. We hope it will inspire all of us to do the same.
Watch an video about about Emily and her commitment to Darfur.
Reaching Out in Minnesota
The Genocide Intervention Network’s University of St. Thomas chapter has been hard at work in Minnesota. Eighteen GI-Net students spent a recent Sunday afternoon assisting staff at the American Refugee Committee (ARC) with outreach efforts and donor communications. ARC is a humanitarian assistance organization that supports a Darfur refugee camp.
Some of these students also attended ARC’s Tenth Annual Chicago Luncheon. This year’s topic was the ongoing violence in Darfur and featured a keynote address by John Prendergast from the International Crisis Group. Jerry Ferrell, the ARC director of operations in Darfur, also spoke.
We look forward to seeing what anti-genocide activists in Minnesota will do next!
Running for Darfur
On Sunday, Oct. 22, a group of students and faculty from the law school at the University of New Mexico ran in the Duke City Marathon to raise awareness and financial support for Darfur. According to law professor Jennifer Moore, their specific focus was to inform people about the horrific number of women who are raped in Darfur and support prevention efforts that provide armed guards to groups of women leaving the camps.
In all, seven teams and one solo runner from the law school ran the marathon, and the women’s team claimed first place! Proceeds from their efforts, as much as ",000 — raised from T-shirt sales, campus meetings, seminars, and the race itself — will be donated to the Genocide Intervention Network.
Taking the Initiative
Ruth Gonzalez, a 17-year-old high school student from Miami, began her anti-genocide activism one day in September when she decided to wear a "Save Darfur" t-shirt to school. This simple act elicited a flurry of questions and comments from her classmates who, as she put it, "were clueless" about the situation in Darfur.
Since then, Ruth has posted flyers around her school, become involved with the Miami-based chapter of Never Again International along with fellow student activist Nidya Sarris, and has given presentations on the genocide to her creative writing teacher and her club advisor. She is now planning to enter the Darfur op-ed contest for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Ruth is just one example of someone who is contributing to a brighter future for Darfur by standing up and taking action in her own community. We should all heed Ruth’s words: "The world has to stop ignoring genocide and start doing something about it before once again, we have only history to judge us. I won't stop as long as it takes!"
P.S. Check out this excellent recent diary with satellite photos of the situation in Darfur.