Voices for Peace and Justice in Darfur

April is a month when we remember genocides of the past -- Armenia, the Holocaust and Rwanda. But, what if, instead of mourning a genocide, we could STOP one? That's why UUSC and the UUA are active in the Save Darfur Coalition's Million Voices for Darfur campaign and why we will be visible on April 30th at the rallies for Darfur in Washington, DC and San Francisco.

Every voice makes a difference. Here's one I want to share. Emi is a 12-year-old Darfuri girl now living in the United States. She is moving audiences to tears -- and action -- every time she speaks. Here is her poem describing what she saw in Darfur during her last visit.

War In Darfur

The merciless soldier,

With a heart that’s a boulder,

Driven by money, blinded by fear,

Desperate cries for help, he’ll never

hear.

Roaming the streets with a charred black soul,

No one is safe, not woman not man, not young

and not old.

Knowledge is forcibly pushed aside,

Because power has now taken the stride.

What was once a sanctuary, a haven for all,

Is now no haven, but a place where innocent

lives did fall.

What’s going on is a senseless, cold hearted war;

Bad against good, strong against weak, all in Darfur.

Possessions are gone, everything is wrong.

People aren’t happy, and homeless and hungry,

Worst of all is that no one is free.

Families are shattered, in this big bloody battle.

Good people lose jobs

And are replaced by slobs.

No female is safe,

Because she is a subject to rape.

People are murdered throughout the nation,

Because of this, mostly orphans make up the population.

There is no respect and there is no pride,

The only thing there is, is GENOCIDE.

I believe it’s time to put this to an end,

For there are lives to defend.

Take action, or sit in grief? If you still don’t know

which side to choose,

Ask yourself one question, What did the children do?

-- Emtithal, 12 years old

Read at Main Line Reform Temple in Philadelphia, Pa., on April 4, 2006