Two founders of UUSC were honored by the U.S. House of Representatives as “genuine American heroes” for rescuing Jews and opponents of the Nazi regime during World War II. The resolution paying tribute posthumously to Martha and Waitstill Sharp also commends UUSC for continuing the legacy of the Sharps by its current campaign to end the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan.

“The Sharps’ remarkable story is a powerful reminder that all of us have a moral obligation to take action to end violence and to prevent and stop genocide, genocide which today is taking place in Darfur,” said Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., the only Holocaust survivor in Congress, in a speech on the House floor.

The Rev. Waitstill Sharp, a Unitarian minister, and his wife Martha, a social worker, were honored last year in ceremonies in Israel and Washington, D.C. In June, they were memorialized as Righteous Among the Nations by the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem. In September, they were similarly honored with a plaque on the Rescuers’ Wall at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington.

UUSC President Charlie Clements said he hopes the Sharps’ story inspires “today’s righteous” to remain committed to ending genocide. UUSC is leading the Drumbeat for Darfur campaign to end the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.

The Sharps’ heroic saga is now being told in a new documentary, “Heroes of the Spirit: Genocide Then, Genocide Now.” For more information and to purchase the DVD, visit “New documentary features heroic legacy of UUSC founders.”

Rep. James McGovern, D- Mass., the chief sponsor of the resolution, said the heroic deeds of the Sharps set an example to people today to take action against injustice.

“There are many urgent situations confronting our world today where people’s lives are in grave danger,” said McGovern. “Many people in communities even face the threat of genocide, as is the case in Darfur. It is my hope that the inspiration of the Sharps will compel our government and other civilized governments across this world into taking more proactive and more effective steps to stop the genocide that is now going on in the Sudan.”

Posted January 30, 2007