STUDENTS TAKE ACTION AGAINST GENOCIDE
By Jeff Goodman
My High School Journalism
May 2 2006
Several hundred people gathered Sunday at the Federal Building to
protest the genocide that is occurring in Darfur, Sudan.
The rally, which was organized by Teens Against Genocide (TAG),
a group of Greater Los Angeles high school students dedicated to
raising awareness about the situation in Darfur, came in the same
week as Holocaust Remembrance Day and the commemoration of the
Armenian genocide.
“It is important to defend those who are persecuted and murdered,”
said senior Lizzy Cantor, the President of Amnesty International.
TAG hosted the event in conjunction with several other related
organizations, including Camp Darfur, Jewish World Watch, and the
Save Darfur Coalition. Each group had a booth with informational
pamphlets, T-shirts, wristbands, and food. In some form or another,
all proceeds will go to providing aid in the Darfur region.
The booths faced inward to a stage on which several students,
religious clergy members, politicians, and musical guests spoke and
performed. Adam Sterling, who works on the Sudan Divestment Task
Force, followed after Rev. Cecil Murray and Rabbi Harold Schulweis
as he urged high school students to stay involved during college.
Those in attendance walked along Wilshire Boulevard with signs, like
“Take Action Now” and “Stop the Suffering,” that called for an end
to the genocide.
The response of drivers and other passersby, who honked horns and
pumped fists to the cheers of the protesters, was overwhelmingly
supportive.
The rally bolstered enough spirit to grab the attention of
Congresswoman Maxine Waters, who stopped by when she saw the event from
her car. Speaking off the cuff, Waters congratulated the participants
for their efforts.
The cause will be continued at a rally in Washington, D.C. on Sunday,
when politicians and celebrities alike hope to put Darfur on the
national agenda.
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