Harwich High School STAND members - Kelly Murphy, Amanda De Oliveira, Elizabeth Ray, and Hannah Baker - testified today before the Massachusetts Legislature Joint Committee on Education in favor of House Bill 1064, An Act Concerning Genocide Education - the Teach Against Genocide Bill. We were joined by HHS STAND alum, and current STAND Northeast Outreach Coordinator at Smith College, MacKenzie Hamilton. The text and video of our testimony is below as is the video of MacKenzie's and some more photos. After the hearing, we were treated to lunch and a discussion of the bill with Rep. Peake, as well as a visit to the well of the House of Representatives, and later we met up with Sen. Wolf as well. Thank you to both of our legislators for their support of this bill and for taking the time to meet with us today.
Text and history of the bill can be found here.
Our testimony:
Testimony of Harwich STAND to the Joint Committee On Education, June 14, 2011, re:H1064
Introduction – KELLY MURPHY
Good morning. We as representatives of Harwich High School STAND (Stand Taking Action Now: Darfur) are here to testify in favor of House bill 1064, An Act Concerning Genocide Education.
STAND is a worldwide network of students that is attempting to end genocide. We involve ourselves with many anti-genocide projects. One of these has been to advocate for House Bill 1064. We believe that education about genocide will end ignorance of the problem and spark activism to hasten the day it will not happen again. This Act is an important step in broadening our students’ education and moving toward the elimination of this crime.
The Genocide Problem – AMANDA DE OLIVIERA
According to the United Nations Convention on the Preventions and Punishment of the crime of Genocide, adopted on December 9, 1948, Genocide is defined as the attempt to destroy in whole or in part a national ethnical, racial or religious group.” Genocide entails mass murder of innocent people, and as such is the most heinous crime known in history.
However, genocide is not history.
Genocides still occur in our modern world. Cambodia, Iraq, Rwanda, Bosnia, Southern Sudan, Burma, and Darfur are some examples. By some estimates, more people have been killed by genocide than have died in war in the last century. In Darfur alone, out of a population of 6 million, approximately 400,000 have been killed and 3 million displaced.
Therefore, learning about the Holocaust, while necessary and critical, is not enough.
The Need for Awareness – LIZZIE RAY
Genocide occurs because some dictators think that eliminating a group will consolidate their power, and because they think they can get away with it.
Therefore, only international diplomacy and intervention can stop or prevent it.
The need for awareness by citizens all over the world is great, because leaders will only take steps against genocide if their constituents demand action.
This can only happen if citizens have the educational background to understand the issue. As the STAND movement shows, when people understand and are aware of genocide, they insist that their governments do what they can to save lives.
The Importance of H 1064 – HANNAH BAKER
The Massachusetts Frameworks shape what our students are taught in their history classes. Currently, the frameworks include the Holocaust. Few schools go beyond this. Students are often left with the mistaken impression that genocide is a historical tragedy not a modern one.
By requiring education about multiple genocides, House Bill 1064 pushes educators to make the connection between the past and the present. This will lead students toward greater understanding of the issue, motivate them to follow global human rights issues, and lead them to become engaged and active constituents.
Conclusion – KELLY MURPHY
The ultimate goal of genocide education is the end of genocide.
When people are engaged on the issue, they can make a difference. In Southern Sudan, the January referendum on independence was widely expected to reignite the civil war that had previously claimed 2 million lives. However, international attention to the issue, initiated by the activism of STAND and other groups, changed Bashir’s calculation. Violence has since increased but hopefully renewed engagement can ensure a peaceful transition to Southern Sudan Independence.
Once, similar groups organized against the scourge of slavery. They organized toward an uncertain day when state-sanctioned slavery would be a phenomenon of the past. Today, the efforts to end genocide face a similar uncertainty. However, with initiatives such as House Bill 1064, we can progress to that day, hopefully in our lifetime, when genocide will also be history.
We ask today for your active support of this important bill.
MacKenzie's Testimony:
Mac:
In the Well of the House of Representatives:
With Rep. Peake and Sen. Wolf:
In front of the State House:
