LOCAL VIEW: WORK AGAINST GENOCIDE IN OUR TIME

Duluth News Tribune
/120096/
May 13 2009

April was designated Genocide Prevention and Awareness Month. Across
the country and abroad, children, students, professionals and activists
banded together in different-sized groups to mark the anniversaries
of several genocides, including the 94th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide, the 66th anniversary of the Holocaust, the 34th anniversary
of the Cambodian Genocide, the 17th anniversary of the genocide in
Bosnia-Herzegovina, the 15th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide
and, finally, the sixth anniversary of the genesis of the violence
in Darfur.

April was designated Genocide Prevention and Awareness Month. Across
the country and abroad, children, students, professionals and activists
banded together in different-sized groups to mark the anniversaries
of several genocides, including the 94th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide, the 66th anniversary of the Holocaust, the 34th anniversary
of the Cambodian Genocide, the 17th anniversary of the genocide in
Bosnia-Herzegovina, the 15th anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide
and, finally, the sixth anniversary of the genesis of the violence
in Darfur.

Locally, the Baeumler-Kaplan Holocaust Commemoration Events at the
University of Minnesota Duluth offered a week of activities that
included the movie, "Camp Darfur," a brownbag. The keynote speaker
was Ellen Kennedy, a professor and the interim director of the
Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. She provided a multimedia
presentation on the situation of Lithuanian Jewry before and after
World War II. Dr. Kennedy’s presentation highlighted how the Nazis
exterminated a wonderfully rich and vibrant Jewish community in
Vilna. She also spoke about the broader legacy of the Holocaust: the
cry that rang out from the international community that "never again"
would genocide be allowed to occur.

The international community, however, has failed to act in Cambodia,
Bosnia, Rwanda and now Darfur. According to Professor Kennedy, we
must work to change this. She spoke of the need to change people from
being passive bystanders to active "upstanders," people who use their
freedoms to speak for those who are threatened with genocide.

The hope for Darfur and other regions riddled with violence rests with
us here. We represent one part of what can be a dynamic, sustainable,
anti-genocide constituency. Elected officials respond to the demands
of their constituency groups. We need to make our elected officials
aware that we are concerned about genocide and mass atrocities around
the world and that we expect them to act.

For too long we have abandoned the victims and survivors of genocide,
and we need to ensure our words have meaning. We should not forget
the lessons of the Holocaust. We should honor the memories of the
victims and survivors of the Holocaust by ensuring it will never happen
again. We need to educate ourselves about the various genocides and
mass atrocities, organize ourselves to become effective advocates
for those who have no voice and attempt to influence politicians.

Elie Wiesel, perhaps the most prominent Holocaust scholar and
survivor, has noted: "The opposite of love is not hate; it’s
indifference." Earlier this year, I was honored to be accepted as a
Carl Wilkens Fellow with Genocide Intervention Network

(genocideintervention.net), a nongovernmental organization that
"empowers individuals and communities with the tools to prevent and
stop genocide." As part of my fellowship, I want to start a local
community organization to fight inaction when it comes to genocide
and mass atrocities across the world. I ask everyone to join me to
target and to reverse indifference.

Please consider participating in a local constituency-building effort
within the greater Duluth-Superior community — within our community.

Haji Dokhanchi of Superior has taught political science since 1992
at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. For the past seven years he
also has co-taught courses on the genocide in Bosnia and has served
as co-facilitator of a War and Peace in Bosnia study-abroad program.