From Auschwitz to Darfur

The Holocaust in Nazi Germany was horrible.
The Genocide in Janjoweed Darfur is Horrible.



I went to the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC a few days ago. It is the most gut wrenching experience you can have in a museum. It brings the holocaust experience down to earth in a way that makes you feel like you were there. I felt like I smelled the blood, struggle and ignorance in the air.

I could write for hours about those things, but feel very called to point out something you see after the museum tour. There is a small room out of sight to most (I almost walked right by it) that highlights the genocide in Darfur.

Up until then, the issue seemed to be something cool people used to inject into conversation, to make themselves seem more "aware." I find it interesting that, every-time I've heard someone talking about the conflict, they had not the slightest ability to satisfy my curiosity about the subject.

But now it is real. And there is a real genocide happening now. It's one thing to look at a genocide of the past and be sad that you were helpless. It's another to look at a genocide today and do something about it.

Here are 5 things www.ushmm.org/conscience says we can do now.

1. JOIN OUR COMMUNITY OF CONSCIENCE

Visit our Web site, www.ushmm.org/conscience. Sign up for our Genocide Prevention e-newsletter,

download our Darfur layer on Google Earth, and subscribe to the Voices on Genocide Prevention

podcast and blog. Learn more about genocide, the current situation in Darfur, and other places at risk.

2. CONTACT THE MEDIA

Tell them you want better coverage of Darfur. Visit their Web sites, call them, and send e-mails providing

feedback on their coverage of the region.

3. COMMUNICATE WITH DECISION MAKERS

Stress the need to provide humanitarian assistance, protect civilians, stop the violence, and promote

a solution to end the genocide in Darfur. Contact government officials and members of the United

Nations, the European Union, and the African Union.

4. GET ENGAGED IN YOUR COMMUNITY

Talk about Darfur with friends, family, members of organizations you belong to, and coworkers—help

spread the word. Schools, churches, synagogues, mosques, and groups across the country are making

a difference.

5. SUPPORT EDUCATION AND RELIEF EFFORTS

Support the ongoing efforts of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to draw attention to

what is happening in Darfur. Find out more about who is on the ground in Darfur, what they are doing,

and how you can help.