Carl Wilkens Visits Harwich High School

On Wednesday, April 24, Carl Wilkens visited Harwich High School to speak about Rwanda. Mr. Wilkens was the only American to stay in Rwanda during the genocide in 1994, during which he was able to save the lives of hundreds of orphans. After addressing an all-school assembly, Mr. Wilkens spent the rest of the day discussing his experiences with history classes, giving students a unique opportunity to interact with someone who acted heroically in the face of inhumanity. As our history classes study human rights and genocide, this experience immeasurably deepens their understanding of the subject. Mr. Wilkens was able to leave the students with many inspirational stories of courage and triumph as Rwanda today has become a rapidly developing and more egalitarian society. Mr. Wilkens also gave an evening talk on Thursday, April 25 for members of the community, presenting a new documentary about his experiences during the genocide. Harwich HS STAND (Students Taking Action Now: Darfur) invited Mr. Wilkens to HHS as part of Peace Week which STAND co-hosted with the GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance). HHS STAND would like to thank Mr. Wilkens for honoring us with his visit. A video of his presentation at the all-school assembly: A video of his interview with Mindy Todd on WCAI that afternoon:

HHS STAND DC Trip '13 - Day 3

Our last day in DC. We again got up early to head to the Silver Diner for breakfast before the conference, today with a special treat. Yesterday at the conference, I got a chance to talk to Carl Wilkens, one of my heroes, who is a major leader in the anti-genocide movement famous for being the only American to stay in Kigali, Rwanda during the genocide where he was able to shelter hundreds of orphans from the killings. We got to chatting about the national STAND movement, for which he is a new Board member. He agreed to meet us for breakfast to discuss the state to STAND today, from our perspective. It was an honor and a treat to spend an hour talking with him over omelets and pancakes. From there, we headed to Day 2 of the conference, again featuring expert panels on Sudan, including an interesting discussion on media coverage, and a talk featuring John Prendergast, head of the Enough Project, and Rich Williamson, former special envoy to Sudan under Pres. Bush. It was clear that national activists have been disappointed with Pres. Obama's lack of engagement on Sudan, and that we made more of a positive difference under Bush, esp. with Williamson. Mukesh Kapila was inspiring in his appeal to the urgency of the problem, and our highlight may have been Carl Wilkens closing speech - a dramatic connection of his experience with the importance of what we are working on with Sudan. As he emphasized, don't underestimate the power of a story. After lunch, we headed to Capitol Hill for some lobbying. The conference had prepared packets and talking points for us, and joining with a couple members of the Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur, we gave presentations to foreign policy staffers in Rep. Markey's and Sen. Warren's offices, and did drop bys at Rep. Keating's and Rep. Kennedy's offices. It was a great experience and the students learned to be effective advocates - ad libbing to enhance the presentations. We also got some instant results as we received an email from Rep. Markey's office informing us that he joined the Sudan Caucus! Because of a flight delay, we had time to visit the Museum of the American Indian, spend a little time at Union Station, then catch a train to the airport. It was a wonderful trip, even if we didn't get home until 1AM!

HHS STAND DC Trip '13 - Day 2

Sunday, we got up early, and left the hotel at 645 (545 by yesterday's time) to walk up Wilson Boulevard to Clarendon Square. After a wonderful breakfast at the Silver Diner, we walked over to George Mason University (Arlington Campus) which was hosting the summit. We registered and after a few words of greeting, we broke up into five groups for the first three breakout sessions. The first two allowed us to listen to presentations from a variety of Sudanese attending the summit - giving us direct accounts of the atrocities being committed in Darfur, Nuba Mountains, Blue Nile, and other regions. They clearly described the current approach of the Bashir regime to divide and destroy the marginalized peoples of Sudan - predominantly African peoples being oppressed by the Arabized central government. One of the most fascinating parts was the question period of each presentation which precipitated discussions among the Sudanese of various backgrounds. The summit really feels like part of a process of helping the marginalized peoples of Sudan come together to resist the brutal policies of Bashir. [Hannah and Bianca with Bahar Arabie - check out his book on Darfur] The last breakout session covered topics such as social media, lobbying, and arresting Bashir. After lunch, we met in the auditorium for a series of expert panels. The first may have been the most fascinating as representatives of four resistance organizations in Sudan discussed their experiences and strategies - these are the folks who are on the front lines literally of the struggle. After a couple panels, we walked back down Wilson Blvd to the Hyatt, and after some pizza, got picked up by our Royal Tour bus for the night monument tour. We were lucky to have picked the nicest evening of the year so far - they lifted the sides on the bus - at least for the first half of the tour. We got to see the White House, the FDR memorial, Lincoln, Korea, Vietnam, Iwo Jima. The highlight for me was my first visit to the MLK Memorial.

HHS STAND DC Trip '13 - Day 1

HHS STAND embarked on a trip to DC for March 9-11, 2013. After getting up early (~4am) to catch a 7am flight from Boston, we made it to the Hyatt Arlington by 9:45, and started our trek through DC. Our path started at the Iwo Jima Marine Memorial and then through Arlington National Cemetary, crossing the Potomac to the Lincoln Memorial and a walk up to the Washington Monument. We spent a couple hours visiting the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and then walked the mall to take a tour of the Capitol. [new statue of Rosa Parks, sitting on Lee's spot on the old House floor, staring down a statue of Jefferson Davis across the room] After a ride back to Arlington on the Metro and dinner at Ruby Tuesday, we had a discussion about Sudan and the conference and got to bed early, ready to lose an hour of sleep to daylight savings time.

HHS STAND Members Testify on Beacon Hill

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:

HHS STAND Talent Show 2011

Tonight Harwich High School STAND hosted our Third Annual HHS Talent Show. We had nine acts entered - the videos are below. The winning act was "Teachers of Harwich Jeopardy"

STAND wants to thank our judges - Ms. Rose, Mr. Breski, and Ms. Levangie, our sound man, Seth Andreasson, our lighting director, Meghan Van Hoose, and our hosts, Mary Benedetto and Garret Ameida. Thank you also to the large crowd who joined us and helped us raise $600 to help our sister school for Darfuris at the Goz Amer Refugee Camp in Chad. The videos:

Rachel Trieble, Don Sanzo, and Kirby Smith perform "New York State of Mind":


Hannah Baker performs "Moondance":


The Dueling Drummers:


Don Sanzo, Mike Malone, Rachel Treible, and Camille Dings perform the skit "Teachers of Harwich Jeopardy":


Garrett Almeida, assisted by Mike Malone and Ryan Toleno:


Ryan Toleno and Friends:


Fred Fredburger Part 1:


Fred Fredburger Part 2:


Sabrina Mowatt and Shantol Grant dance to "Move Your Body":

STANDFast Day Four!

Yesterday's Trivia Answer: The actor who visited Southern Sudan in October is George Clooney

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3 – STANDFAST DAY 4

Thank you to everyone for supporting our STANDFast this week. Today, we want to focus on what YOU can do to support the cause of peace in Sudan. Four things:

1. Visit the STAND website – standnow.org and participate in the 12 days of STAND campaign.

2. Visit sudanactionnow.org and sign the online petition to the White House.

3. Find more information at the websites for the Enough Project and the Genocide Intervention Network, and look for videos with George Clooney and John Prendergast talking about Sudan.

4. Come to the next STAND meeting! Stay informed and stay involved!

Today’s beard contest – mustache! Today’s trivia question: What HHS alum is a member of STAND’s National Leadership Team?

The Contestants:

Anthony:


Jimmy:


Mike:


Mr. D: