Lafayette Online , PA
May 6 2006

Will you allow genocide?
By: Jillian Gaeta ’07
Issue date: 5/5/06 Section: Opinion

PrintEmail Article Tools Page 1 of 1 Genocide in Darfur began in
2003, has claimed 400,000 lives and left 2.5 million displaced. The
Khartoum government of Sudan has armed Janjaweed militia to kill
people of non-Arab descent. The United States government has made
efforts to stop the genocide, but they are not enough. On April 30th,
myself, Sarah Belliotti, Gina Brewer, and Kevin Farrell went to a
rally in Washington D.C., along with thousands of other Americans to
show the government that we want stronger action taken for the people
of Darfur.

Throughout history, the U.S. has failed to stop genocide. We watched
as genocide occurred in Armenia, Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda, and during
WWII. Will the same happen for Darfur? The people in Sudan were
listening to the rally on their radios and waiting to hear our voices
speak up for them, hoping that Americans with the power to protect
them will do so. You may ask why should I care about the people of
Darfur who I share no connection to? The crowd at the rally was
comprised of many different people, Holocaust survivors, Bosnian
refugees, Sudanese refugees, and African Americans, However, most
people, like me, shared only one connection to the Sudanese people;
the bond of humanity.

When one race is degraded we are all degraded, when one culture is
lost a part of ours is lost, and when one part of humanity suffers,
we all suffer. Humanity connects us and because of this we are
responsible to act. The people of Darfur are waiting to hear our
voices and the Khartoum government is thriving off of our silence.
Save Darfur now and urge your congressional leaders and President
Bush to take stronger action for the people of Darfur.

For more information visit savedarfur.org or contact
gaetaj@lafayette.edu.