In 2005, I attended a meeting at a Portland, OR coffee shop with half a dozen other people to discuss creating a Genocide Awareness Week. We didn’t know each other, but we knew we had to do something about what was happening in Darfur. Soon that group grew into the Portland Coalition for Genocide Awareness, and in 2006 we hosted a month of events. Now, I am proud to say that every year i-ACT works closely with dozens of other local and national groups during the month of April for Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month.
This year’s campaign is 100 Days: Act to End Genocide. We chose to expand the campaign to 100 days in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Rwanda genocide. Starting April 7, 1994 and lasting 100 days, Tutsis were targeted because of their ethnicity and the world stood by. This April, I am asking you to not only reflect on our promise of ‘Never Again’ but to take action too.
The Carl Wilkens Fellowship, now a project of i-ACT, has a great resource webpage and calendar with events from all over the country listed! There are also actions you can take and promote with your friends via social media.
Throughout 100 Days: Act to End Genocide, we want you to stand with the survivors and victims of mass atrocities by:
Signing a petition addressing an ongoing atrocity
Walking to end genocide
Meeting with your local member of Congress
Calling the White House (202.456.1111)
Attending a genocide awareness and prevention month event
Organizing an event, speaker, panel, film, or house party
Several organizations in the movement camp together to create this easy Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month Toolkit that anyone can use to get involved.
Every action counts. Every action strengthens the movement to end mass atrocities and genocide. After you take action, share it with your friends by using #ActToEndGenocide and encourage them to follow in your footsteps. Together we can change the way the world responds to genocide and mass atrocities.