Philippe Galliard, Red Cross supervisor in Rwanda during the genocide in 1994, said,
"In such circumstances, if you do not at least speak out clearly... you are participating in the genocide. If you shut up when you see what you see, then morally, ethically, you cannot shut up. It is a responsibility to speak out."
Few spoke out effectively to stop the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. It took a couple of years to get the U.S. and Europe to act in Bosnia by 1995. Now, we're witness to another genocide in Darfur, Sudan. The government-backed janjiweed, Arab Americans, have persecuted Black Americans.
What can we do, as witnesses to this genocide, to help stop it? To help raise awareness?
Frontline: Ghosts of Rwanda website: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/ghosts/
Also, a way for high schools to get involved - Dollars for Darfur. Check it out. We might want to organize something. http://www.savedarfur.org/page/content/dfd/
Mr. W.
11 comments:
It's hard to say exactly what we can do as students to help stop the genocide in Darfur. We seem so small in the great scheme of things. However, "shutting up" about it is the LAST thing we should do. I never understood how people could just stand by and watch as people are tortured and killed. I agree with Philippe Galliard in thinking that just letting things like genocide happen is like participating in it. I think the least we can do in our position is to try to find a way to send money to assist the victims in Darfur. I think any form of effort is better than no effort at all. Hopefully if enough people decide to help in some way then the genocide can be put to an end.
- Kristyn L.
i know that in the early stages of darfur we did have a drive to help the people there but that was so long ago that everyone has forgotten. it would be nice if the administration had a sprit week type thing where you had tp [ay a dollar or two in order to have a special privilege during school. it would also be cool to have an assembly about it. f we raise awareness in our community perhaps some local business would match our profits and we would have a lot of money to send for help. We as a school cannot stop the genocide ourselves but we can get the people who can one step closer
Andrew s
I personally believe that we cannot do much directly to stop the genoside in darfur but we can help raise awareness. The resources needed to in someway put a halt to the killing is completely out of our reach. Obviously, I do not approve in "shutting up" about the situation. Ways to help would be to somehow make the world aware of the situation, and put it in front of their eyes. It is hard to hide things right in front of your face. Things as students we could do could be as little as showing videos to the school again and putting flyers up in places. Also, we have school dances to raise money for breast cancer, we could do something similar to raise funds for darfur.Truthfully, I believe it is futile to act against the genocide due to the fact that there was even marches in Washington D.C about Darfur and nothing has happened. America would only act against the genoside if it benefited America.
The most effective tactic and the easiest for sloving a problem such as genocide is to raise awarness because everyone and anyone can do it. From senior citizen groups to elementary schools education is key, educate yourself then pass on your knowledge on to others that alone is helping. Also fund-raising for those in need is a great way to help out even if it is just a little you can make a difference. Even if you feel like you aren't doing anything you are, just because you aren't having a personal press conference with the president does not mean it doesn't have an effect. We recently learned about the holocaust and i know the things that happened to innocent civilians is just mind blowing and we all claim we could never let anything like that happen again. If we do not stop the genocide in Darfur today it can go just as far as the Holocaust or even worse. We need to do everything we can to stop it and not let genocide continue at any costs.
Kristin T.
Well, one thing is for sure, we can't just stand back. I think we should do what we did last year raise money by selling t-shirts, maybe sell bracelets or cookies at lunch...stuff like that. But we should also send out representatives to share the situation with other schools-high schools and middle schools. The more schools we get involved in this one cause, the more effect it will have. Another idea is that if every student (at Groves) tried to communicate their ideas and concerns to friends or family in other districts, or even states (students, teachers, administrators), then we could possibly have a large mass of schools fundraising for one cause. It would be noticeable to news stations, and eventually it may reach someone who matters enough to make a serious difference.
Basically one thing we cannot do is sit back. Innocent lives are being taken, and I do not think we can afford NOT to do something. I think one reason the U.S. is not being much of a help is because of the war, but I think that if enough people spread their voice, then we could make a difference in the lives of many people.
Anna S.
I agree with Kristyn that it really is difficult to find an effective way to stop the genocide. Groves has already done a "fund raiser", i guess is what you would call it, however, we are merely just one tiny school in this gigantic world. I think its wonderful that we participated in the efforts to stop the genocide, but I think that more schools across the country and around the world could also help put the horror to an end.
Also, Groves could possibly put an article or something in the newspaper to raise awareness and organize another "fundraiser" that is open to the entire communtiy.
I agree with Mr. Galliard's comment that when you just stand around and watch people being killed, its the equivelent of killing and torturing them yourslef. We should take action within our school once again, and this time get the community involved.
-Kelsey V.
As students, we can't necessarily strongly influence the country to take any agressive action with the army or other means of assistance but, we can do some research to obtain factual data about what is going on overseas, and then present to those who aren't in the know. This would in-turn build the amounts of people who have been informed, making the message stronger.
We can also write a letter to a politician, and it could even be someone in Michigan, who could hear what we have to say, backed up by factual information. Those people are the people of influence, and could take action on our message or send it to someone of higher authority and ability.
I certainly agree with Philippe Galliard's statement of "if you do not at least speak out clearly...you are participating in the genocide." This statement really brings out how the majority of people's inaction is basically the equivalent to letting the mass killings happen. Even though we as individual students are a small body, together with correct information and the right people, a lot can be done as a much larger and more influential body.
Seth
I agree with the statement that if you don't doing anything you are apart of the genocide. I don't think the answer to the problem in Sudan is sending money i believe the proper way is to raise awarness so we will be able to make our government either tell china to stop providing the janjiweed with weapons or take action against the janjiweed. Honestly money goes to buying supplies and helping but the would not need the supplies as bad if we just stopped the burning of their villages and they were not forced to live in reffuge camps. I also have a hard time with the fact we went into wars on terror with no actual credible proof of problems and we refuse to even devote troops or even talks when everyday innocent people are being killed. The united states and other govenments should come together to talk with the chinese government and tell them not to sell the weapons to the janjiweed. Colectively we could easily cover the earnings of the chinese and then they would be unable to force
I believe there are many things we can do. For example, we can write letters, organize marches, and protest. All of these examples can be held on either a small scale or large scale. if everyone participated it may persuade the government to become more invloved.
-Sam B.
I think the biggest way we can help is to tell people about it. If we continue to tell people then they will spread the word and the first step is knowing what is happening. I would love to send money or food but where does it all go? Do the victims really recieve what we send? We can send letters or support and love to them also, but who knows if they get them?
Its in our hands to spread the word. If we make a big deal out of it pretty soon people around the wolrd will hear us. Then stars like Oprah or someone famous will make the genocide well known. We all might not have money, but we all have voices.
Erin B
The statement that this man made that if you stand back and watch your are partially responsible for the genocide is acurate. I also believe sending money is not enough. we need to send help through troops or governemnt enciative i believe if we came up with a coalition to tell china to stop providing the juangiweed with weapons they would listen. then the problem would be mostly resolved and then there would be no more death. we just need to draw enough attention and awarness to the problem to make a government eniciative. I believe the goverenment needs to be less spineless and more concerned with wrong and right and less concerned with corporations and money and wars that were started by our fathers and such. I think that stopping a genocide is much more important then fighting an enemy we can't see and just fighting a different culture that just does not understand us and we don't understand them.
-John. S-
for the forth time
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