A wildly successful awareness event

On April 27th, a large coalition of faith groups, refugee service organizations and STAND students came together to put on a wildly successful genocide awareness and prevention event in Chapel Hill, N.C. To make a long story short, these groups planned and worked for months to put together an event for Holocaust Remembrance Week and Genocide Awareness Month that celebrated survivors and liberators in our community, screened “The Last Survivor” documentary and held a discussion with the film’s co-director.

We squeezed 260 people into the sold-out theater and turned away about 50 people. We had three local mayors, two town council members and a state representative attend and participate in the celebration ceremony. We celebrated 12 survivors of the Holocaust and violence in Congo and celebrated 6 U.S. army veterans who liberated Nazi concentration camps. In fact, a veteran met for the first time a concentration camp survivor that he liberated – both now living in our community.

The movie had its usual powerful effect on the audience and especially drew praise from the survivors – who celebrated the film’s attempt to focus not just on the past. The conversation afterwards with the film’s co-director was powerful and inspiring, with a good conversation about what people can do to help prevent future crimes against humanity. People left motivated and engaged and determined.

The success of this event stands in stark contrast to the first Interfaith Coalition meeting held so many months ago at the beginning of my fellowship year - where only one person showed up. Some of the reasons why I think this event worked so well include:

**Strong coalitions. There was not one single group that planned this event. We made sure to involve groups such as the local Jewish federation, local church and mosques, refugee resettlement agencies, a Holocaust Speaker’s Bureau, and the local STAND chapter right from the early days. Asking them to come, have a booth and participate gave them ownership and motivation to promote to their constituencies.
**Involving local survivors. Bringing real survivors who live among us brought a very tangible, emotional power to the evening that simply showing the film would not have achieved.
**Planning far in advance. We began planning for this event late last year – a full five months before it happened. Of course, most work was done closer to the event but we got on elected officials’ calendars early, got out in front of other Holocaust Remembrance events and were well organized to get media attention.


What made some of your events better than others?

Words to launch a new class of Fellows

With emotions and expectations running high, a new class of Carl Wilkens Fellows gathered in Washington, D.C., last month to launch a roller-coaster ride of a year. They embarked on a journey that will both challenge them and encourage them, mess with their emotions and motivate them, and lay the groundwork for a lifetime building the political will to end crimes against humanity.

I know that sounds dramatic, but it's true. The Carl Wilkens Fellowship (CWF) with the Genocide Intervention Network is a truly unique program. I had the privilege of not only being a part of the 2009 class, but also helping the 2011 class during the retreat in February.

It was interesting seeing them go through the same emotions, express the same concerns, and feel the same sense of "finding their tribe" that I did as a fellow. We all tend to be so idealistic, motivated and leaders in our own way. We suffer from MPD - multiple passion disorder - and all desire to see an end to genocide. In this environment, its easy to start comparing ourselves to the other fellows and that can breed anxiety. It's also a recipe for us to just launch out and try to do as many things as possible, without taking the time to think things through.

So here are some parting words of advice for the 2011 Class as they begin their community leadership journey:
-Stay true to yourself and your community. Understand your skills, gifts and spheres of influence and don't get distracted by comparing yourself to others.
-Take the time to plan strategically. You can waste so much energy by rushing forward too fast.
-Build relationships. Your connections to people will last much longer than your fellowship year.
-Dream big and act small. Make sure you set your sight on big plans for change, but break down that plan into bite-size pieces.
-Have fun. Lastly, it's so easy to get depressed and disheartened when you are trying to get friends and neighbors interested in world conflicts and motivated to act. It's important to maintain a sense of humor and have fun while pursuing your fellowship goals.

I raise my glass to all the rockstars in the 2011 class and wish you the best in your grand adventure.

Carl Wilkens to speak at UNC tonight!!

One of my personal heroes, Carl Wilkens, is coming to speak at UNC Chapel Hill tonight. He has an incredible story of staying in Rwanda throughout the genocide and helping people. His stories are powerful and the message poignant. Stop by and check it out if you are within striking distance of Chapel Hill.

When: Nov. 6 at 6 p.m.
Where: Hanes Art Center 121, UNC campus

See you there!

Introducing CGAN

One of the biggest frustrations I had with my time as a fellow with the Genocide Intervention Network was the lack of communication among local genocide activists. I would hear about cool events AFTER they were over. I talked to people all over the Triangle region of N.C. who felt they were alone in their genocide prevention efforts, when just around the corner there was another person feeling the same way.

So, how can we stay connected? What about a wiki - a web site that anyone can edit - to create an online presence?

Thus, the idea for the Carolina Genocide Action Network (CGAN) was born. The CGAN is an informal, low-maintenance community of men and women who care about genocide prevention issues. It's targeted to people who live in North and South Carolina, but all are welcome.

So check it out, join the wiki, leave an update and let me know what you think. Is this the right direction for us to go?

New Genocide Intervention Network web site

The Genocide Intervention Network (GI-Net) is leading the national anti-genocide movement and has grown dramatically in the previous five years. Started by a small group of college students, this organization has grown to be a formidable presence in Washington, D.C. with a million dollar budget dedicated to the prevention of genocide and mass atrocities.

As readers of this blog know, I had the privilege of serving as a GI-Net Carl Wilkens Fellow in 2009. I intend to remain active and connected with GI-Net in the years to come.

This is one of the main reasons I am excited to see GI-Net update its brand and its web presence. As a senior communications specialist in my “day job” I understand the importance of a good web site and strong identity. I hope the new web site will foster the global genocide prevention movement by being easy to follow, easy to engage and easy to take action.

Check out the new site: www.genocideintervention.net. What do you think? Does it meet the needs of our growing movement?

Rape Bystanders No Longer

If you saw a 15-year old girl getting raped in an alley – would you stop it or cheer it on? Last month, this brutal scenario played out at a high school dance in California where police say more than 20 people stood, watched and jeered the two-hour gang-rape of a young woman. As a nation, we are now wrestling with the brutality of these abusers and the unfathomable lack of action from the bystanders. We are rightly enraged by the lack of action to stop human suffering and are pursuing criminal charges where possible.

Before we cast stones, we must realize that you and I are already bystanders to rape and massive human suffering. We have stood by as more than 400,000 men, women and children were murdered in Darfur. We are still standing by as the rapes, torture, starvation and suffering continues unabated for those left alive.

The good news is that there is a growing movement to end genocide and mass atrocities and it’s not too late to prevent the next great human tragedy. This past weekend, more than 800 students and adults gathered in Washington, D.C. for the Pledge2Protect conference organized by the Genocide Intervention Network. On Monday, the North Carolina delegation met with Sens. Burr and Hagan to urge them to make “never again” a reality. One unique aspect of this round of advocacy was the use of videos from North Carolinians in addition to “old fashioned” talking, to make the point to our elected representatives.

I urge you – yes you, the one reading this blog post - to refuse to be a bystander to genocide and take action with us. The first step to joining the anti-genocide conversation in the Triangle region of North Carolina is to join the Interfaith Coalition for Sudanese Peace for free food, a film screening and discussion on Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. at 1280 Buck Jones Rd, Raleigh, N.C. RSVP to Scott at: suttonsa {at} gmail {dot} com.

Cookies for a dictator?

In an article in the Washington Post, U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan Scott Gration is quoted as saying, "We've got to think about giving out cookies. Kids, countries, they react to gold stars, smiley faces, handshakes, agreements, talk, engagement."

He said this on the eve of a major Sudan policy review by the new Obama Administration and that comment, among other statements, is raising eyebrows across the Darfur peace movement.

Cookies for a Sudanese government that has repeatedly broken promises? Cookies for a Sudanese government that expelled humanitarian groups, thus endangering the lives of millions, but then insisted on getting a reward for letting these same groups back in?

I believe the main concern from the Darfur peace movement’s leaders is that these Gration statements reflect the Administration's official Sudan policy. Such an apparently "soft" approach flies in the face of the bold statements and commitments to action made by former Senators Obama, Biden and Clinton on the campaign trail.

The leaders of the Enough Project, Save Darfur Coaltion and the Genocide Intervention Network released a statement in response. To quote Sam Bell, the director of the Genocide Intervention Network: “If Washington is going to start taking war criminals at their word, despite the long list of Khartoum's broken commitments, an even larger tragedy will soon unfold.” [Full disclosure: I am a 2009 Carl Wilkens Fellow with the Genocide Intervention Network]

Personally, I want to trust the Envoy. I want to believe that offering incentives is shortest route to ending the suffering of my friends and their families in Darfur. If his tactics have gained him the trust and ear of the Government of Sudan (GoS), then perhaps cookies are what need to be served.

However, the leader of the Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebel group was quoted in the Sudan Tribune on Sept. 28 saying the Envoy “does not have a program or strategy for a solution” in Darfur. This does not give me condidence that Gration has the trust of the rebels, who will be key in ending this mess.

So…is Gration fumbling away a chance for real peace by losing the confidence of a key ally in JEM, or is his strategy of paying attention and giving “cookies” to the GoS the right focus and key to long-term solutions? Let me know what you think.

2009 Carl Wilkens Fellowship

I am excited and honored to be a 2009 Carl Wilkens Fellow from the Genocide Intervention Network.

The Wilkens Fellowship is named for Carl Wilkens, the only American to remain in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide. The fellowship “gives emerging leaders the skills and networks they need to build in their communities sustained political will to end genocide. Over the course of the year, Wilkens Fellows receive leadership training, conflict and legislative education, organizing tools and resources, and one-on-one coaching.”

The 20 inaugural Wilkens Fellows were chosen from around the country to participate in this year-long, part-time program. I am excited to be a part of such a talented and motivated group of men and women, all of who are dedicated to ending genocide and mass atrocities. I believe this Fellowship will help me “raise the bar” in my own work to bring peace to Eastern Chad and Darfur, where my friends and their families are still struggling to survive.

*For more information on the fellowship or the Genocide Intervention Network, click here.

*To read the bios of the 2009 Carl Wilkens Fellows, click here.