Fighting the Sudanese genocide Fighting the Sudanese genocide (March 04, 2005)

Los Altos high senior hopes to shed light on violence in Darfur

By Julie O'Shea

Intense violence in the western Darfur region of Sudan erupted in early 2003, causing about 2 million refugees to flee the country. Thousands of women and children have been abducted and used as sex slaves, and, according to Amnesty International, an estimated 100,000 have been slaughtered by the Sudanese government and its Arab allies.

The U.N. Security Council has refused to call what is happening in Darfur genocide, even though many world leaders, including former Secretary of State Colin Powell, have said something needs to be done to help the people of Sudan, who have been fighting for decades.

Talia Recht, a senior at Los Altos High School, has refused to stand by and do nothing.

"We really have a responsibility to help people who have no choice or way out," said Talia, whose grandparents are Holocaust survivors. "I think it's so important that we stop repeating history.

"If there is a genocide going on, it's my job to try and stop it," she added.

The teen, with the help of members from Los Altos High's Amnesty International club, is hosting an assembly March 8 that will highlight the atrocities taking place in Darfur. The half-hour presentation will be held during English classes throughout the day. It includes a slide show and a talk from Ben Makit, a survivor of the Sudanese genocide and civil war.

Makit has been living on his own since age 7, when his parents were killed. Two years ago, he came to America not knowing a word of English. Now 23 and living in San Jose, Makit, gives talks around the country about his first-hand knowledge of the violence in Sudan.

At the end of the assembly, students will be asked to sign letters to Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, Senators Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, and the U.N. Security Council, among others, asking them to help stop the genocide.

Talia's crusade started last summer when she partook in a workshop put on by PANIN, a Jewish leadership organization in Washington, D.C. It was during a presentation there that the situation in Darfur was highlighted for Talia and the other participants.

That was the first time Talia had been exposed to the full extent of the tragedies happening on the other side of the world. And she came home a few weeks later determined to make a change.

"I was completely shocked," she said. "I think our government and the world is staying silent. ... I really want to send a message of responsibility."

Teachers have gotten behind Talia's project, agreeing that the killings in Sudan are important enough to spend a class period discussing the situation. Most teachers plan to bring their students to the assembly.

"I think some students may know that something is happening in Sudan, but they might not know the extent of it," said Alison Harrigan, a junior at Los Altos High who is a member of Amnesty. "This is something like the Holocaust. Why isn't it being addressed?"

Talia will be selling green beaded bracelets reading "The World Will Live As One: Save Sudan" at the assembly. The bracelets can be bought for $2, and the money will go toward helping the Sudanese refugees, who are suffering from lack of water, food and medicine.
E-mail Julie O'Shea at joshea@mv-voice.com

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