A Call For Genocide
Education
BY:
Christopher J. Fries
Printer Friendly Version:
Five
years ago, the Sudanese government began its genocidal campaign in Darfur, the
country’s western region. Systematic
killings, burnings, and rapes have left 300,000 dead and 2.5 million displaced
with little or no access to humanitarian aid.
Yet, the world continues to remain indifferent. Recently, the International Criminal Court
took unparalleled action to bring justice and peace to Darfur by charging
Sudanese president and genocidaire Omar al-Bashir with genocide, crimes against humanity, and war
crimes.
In
Vermont, most of us continue to distance ourselves from the ongoing crisis,
lacking the knowledge and inspiration necessary to take action. However, there are several encouraging
exceptions—primarily student activism and state advocacy work. At the University of Vermont, the student
organization Students Taking Action Now: Darfur (STAND) is making it their
responsibility to act as conscious members of the international community. STAND is a student-lead anti-genocide
coalition working and advocating for legislative action against the genocide in
Darfur in an effort to effect permanent change in the
world’s attitude towards genocide.
During
the 2008-2009 academic year, STAND will lead the
Vermont Teach Against Genocide (VT-TAG) campaign. The goal of the TAG campaign is to pass
legislation calling for genocide and human rights education to be mandated in
public schools. TAG is a national
campaign conducted on a state-by-state basis.
California, New Jersey, New York and Illinois have all passed genocide
education mandates, while Connecticut, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Kentucky,
Kansas, and Vermont currently have active, on-going campaigns. Although the Vermont Academic Standards
already include traces of human rights and genocide education, it is simply
inadequate considering the recurrent pattern of genocidal regimes throughout
the world and the scale on which they have been conducted.
Genocide
education is rightfully becoming a more prevalent topic in schools
nationwide. It is our duty to assure
that all students have a firm understanding of the concept of genocide,
and are able to fully understand its widespread implications. It is imperative information that is
necessary to become aware global citizens, holding on to that which matters
most: humanity.
Christopher
J. Fries is the campaign coordinator for VT-TAG. For more information, visit
http://www.vt.teachagainstgenocide.org.