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Lessons In Activism At Museum In BPC
Last month, at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park City, more than 80 8th graders from Lincoln Middle School in Lincoln, N.J., were confronted with the grim horrors of Darfur, Sudan, and challenged to make difference. “Thou Shalt Not Stand Idly By,” is a series of educational workshops for middle and high school students committed to raising awareness of genocides all over the world. The students learned of the atrocities in Darfur with the aid of photos and artifacts, and the written testimony of witnesses to the genocide—many the same age as the students. Museum educator Shiri Sandler, leader of last month’s workshop, began by showing the students a series of photographs from the region—militiamen in a truck loaded down with weapons, an impoverished boy in a dusty village, a child’s drawing of helicopters and armed men. “What do we have here?” Sandler asked, pointing to an aerial photo of a village engulfed in flames. “It’s burning,” a student called out. “It was bombed,” said another. “Do you think a man on a horse could have started a fire like this?” asked Sandler. “No!” a chorus of voices responded. The Sudanese government provides the Janjaweed, Arab militias perpetrating much of the violence in Sudan, with trucks, money and arms, and backs them up with planes, Sandler told them. “Could any of those have caused a fire like this?” she asked. “Yes!” responded the students. The students were quiet, engaged and already remarkably educated about the conflict. Most demonstrated an understanding of the big picture—where Darfur is and who are the victims and the perpetrators. As Sandler showed more photos, the students began to ask questions of their own. “Were they born Janjaweed or did they become Janjaweed?” one girl wanted to know. “Are the Darfuris fighting back?” asked a boy. “So the government pays money to the Janjaweed militia, right, to do bad stuff,” said one boy. “Why don’t they give the money to fix things, to make real houses for people or something like that?” “The government is destroying its own country, right?” echoed another student. “Why?” Rather than delve into such questions, Sandler rallied the group to action. “Now that we know all of this, what do you want to do?” she asked. “Help!” voices called out. The group brainstormed ideas. They suggested holding fundraisers and educating others about the genocide. Then they each set to work composing letters to children in refugee camps. A girl with a long ponytail took a break to talk to a reporter. “I was just writing ‘good luck in the future and I know what you’re going through,’” she said, “‘and don’t worry, that God is with you and everybody is trying to support Darfur.” Then she turned back to her letter and resumed writing furiously. Contacted a week later, Shirley Romero, one of the class teachers, said that many of the children were still enthusiastic. “We’re doing research now in the class looking into organizations we can raise money for,” she said. “And there are some kids who want to do stuff on YouTube and MySpace. They’re talking about creating pages and just educating other kids. They were really inspired.” Anyone interested in sending a letter to an elected official regarding the Darfur genocide can find a sample on the Museum of Jewish Heritage’s website at www.mjhnyc.org. Or call 1-800- GENOCIDE to be connected with your representative for free.
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