Pictures are Worth a Thousand Words

The images became visible just after dusk. They loomed over us and the city as we stood breathless in the cold night air. We gathered outside the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. last night to appeal for an end to the killing in Darfur. Poignant photos from the region were projected 30 feet high on the exterior walls of the museum. The enormity of the images reflect the enormity of the problem we must face. But don't get overwhelmed, we're not alone in this struggle.

The exhibit, "Our Walls Bear Witness" is the museum's latest public education event since the Committee on Conscience declared Darfur a genocide emergency in 2004. The images of destroyed villages and Darfurian men, women and children living in refugee camps were taken by internationally acclaimed photojournalists who risked their lives to document this humanitarian crisis. The exhibit, "Darfur: Who Will Survive Today?" was produced by Darfur/Darfur and will be seen in 24 cities over the next two years. Check out the Committee on Conscience interview with one of the photographers Ron Haviv to better understand what's at stake.

At a ceremony preceding the display, Nesse, a Holocaust survivor and Clementine, a survivor from Rwanda hugged each other and told the crowd of 300 that they stand "shoulder to shoulder" with the people of Darfur. They promised not to be silent about the genocide happening today and asked us to do all we can to stop the killing. I met Nesse two months ago at the museum when she attended the ceremony honoring Rev. Waitstill and Martha Sharp's heroic rescues during the Holocaust. UUSC continues to honor our founders' legacy by joining Nesse and Clementine and all those who stand up against genocide in Darfur. At the end of last night's ceremony, Omer Ismail, a Darfurian refugee led us outside to bear witness to his people's suffering. You will have a chance to meet him if you come to the next General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association in June. Omer accepted UUSC's invitation to speak.

The Darfur photo display will be at the Holocaust museum in Washington, D.C., throughout Thanksgiving week, November 20-26. Please remember the people of Darfur during your own Thanksgiving gatherings. Talk about what's happening with family and friends and encourage everyone to take action.