THE LAST SURVIVOR: TIRED FEET, RESTED SOULS
Huffington Post
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April 20 2009
Yesterday, hundreds gathered in front of the White House to ‘Honor
the Past’ and to ‘Act NOW for Darfur.’ Survivors from past and current
genocides and mass atrocities, including Darfur, South Sudan, Rwanda,
Bosnia, Cambodia, the Holocaust, and Armenia, joined together with
faith leaders, leading anti-genocide advocates, and local activists;
united. And as we stood there among those whose very lives speak to
the world’s failure to uphold its sacred promise of never again, we
couldn’t help but wonder how many more years we will have to gather
to remind ourselves and others to ‘Act NOW for Darfur?’
A few months ago, we heard Ruth Messinger, President of the American
Jewish World Service, speak about the priorities of the anti-genocide
movement in the year 2009. "What is our next cause to fight for in
2009?" she asked the audience rhetorically. "This year’s cause is
Darfur" she exclaimed.
Yesterday as crowds emerged from buses onto the scene at Lafayette
Park – conveniently situated across from the White House – young
faces descended on the park armed with signs carrying the names of
villages across Darfur that have been destroyed.
Dadinga. Tandosa B. Gorne. Dumi. Labandi. Margabaj. Burny
Sakh. Anguri. Amar Gedit. People’s homes that now endure only in the
memory of the survivors.
These are but a few of the names spread across the crowd. Side by
side refugees from Darfur and inspired youth, banded together to
declare that despite all that we’ve lost, there is still much which
can still be saved – and indeed must be saved.
Among the many speakers was the Reverend Gloria White-Hammond. In a
whisper, Reverend White-Hammond, offered a diagnosis of the movement’s
morale, moving into the 7th year of the genocide: "Many of us, perhaps,
are feeling tired," she offered. "Genocides have come and genocides
have gone. And you could perhaps be feeling discouraged," she remarked.
As activists, it seems all too easy to fall victim to our own
expectations – expectations to see tangible change, expectations
to see an end to the Genocide in Darfur. It seems all too easy for
fatigue to set in around us. As we enter into the seventh year of
the Darfur conflict, how can one not be dispirited?
As the Reverend’s voice grew from a soft, gentle tone, she went on
to declare that, "Even though we might feel tired, we cannot stop
raising our voices. Now is not the time to get quiet!" And then went
on to share a story that Martin Luther King Jr. once told when he
felt people around him growing tired.
"Dr. King told the story of Mother Pollard. Mother Pollard was a 70
year-old woman who lived in Montgomery during the bus boycott. And
like many of the older women, Mother Pollard was offered a ride but
Mother Pollard refused to take a ride. And when Martin Luther King
asked her why don’t you just get in the car so you can rest a little
bit, she responded:
‘My feets are tired, but my soul is rested.’"
Indeed, now is not the time to be quiet.
The Reverend’s voice turned to one of fierce determination, "Today
we’re here to say we’ve been on this road a little while and while
our feets may be tired, our souls are rested."
Although the conflict continues in Darfur, our work has made a
difference. The activist movement has accomplished so much over the
last several years, but as John Prendergast pointed out, "We have
unfinished business."
And so today, as we sit on the precipice between the 6th anniversary of
the Genocide in Darfur and Yom Hashoa, let’s take time to celebrate
the progress we have made in combating the horror that continues
in Darfur. But in doing so, let’s never allow ourselves to forget
that such horrors continue, that even as we sit and reflect, many
die. Tomorrow, Yom Hashoa, will serve as a potent reminder of the
atrocities that occur when the world turns a blind eye.
Observe Genocide Prevention Month and watch the 20-minute sneak preview
of The Last Survivor NOW! Share with your friends and family, host
local screenings at community centers, schools, universities, and
your home, and start a conversation in your own community about how
you can work to fight genocide. This is blog is part 12 of multi-part
series. Cross-listed on change.org.