Embracing Our Differences 2010

“Take the “dis” out of disabled!”
Remembering DARFUR
– Brittany Noll, Age 11, Sarasota
“Can’t We All Get Along”
by Jazmin Riley, 4th Grade,
Jessie P. Miller Elementary School, Bradenton
Teacher: Julia Garland
I drew people with different disabilities. One is blind, another can’t walk and another is in a wheelchair.
We should all get along. I don’t like it when people judge others by their race. I have friends
who are Mexican, black and mixed. If I had three wishes I would wish for world peace, to end world
hunger and to have ice cream.
The horrific Darfur Conflict began in Sudan in February of 2003 when
military groups began accusing the government of oppressing black
Africans in favor of Arabs. The population took sides and genocide
became rampant. One side was composed of the Sudanese militia group
called the Janjaweed, and the other included rebel groups like the Sudan
Liberation Movement/Army and the Justice and Equality Movement.
Killing sprees ensued and the
death toll escalated to hundreds of
thousands. Activist organizations
such as Amnesty International
called for international assistance.
In August of 2006, the United
Nations (UN) Security Council approved
Resolution 1706, calling for a
new 26,000-troop UN peacekeeping
force to intervene. Sudan objected
to the resolution, claiming the UN forces would be viewed as foreign
invaders, and the Sudanese military launched a major offensive.
In July 2008, the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court
(ICC) filed 10 charges of war crimes against Sudan’s president, Omar
al-Bashier, (three counts of genocide, five counts of crimes against
humanity and two counts of murder). In February of last year, Darfur’s
UN peacekeeping force attempted to persuade the Justice and Equality
Movement and the Sudanese government to sign a peace agreement.
Like the Holocaust, Darfur is an example of humans killing humans
in the name of racism. It is up to us bear witness and protest future
hate crimes. In the words of Philosopher George Santayana, “Those
who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
Source: www.savedarfur.org
Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone
One of the goals of Embracing Our Differences® is to bring the ideals
of loving kindness to home, school and work environments. So how can
you practice tolerance in your daily life? Try saying hello to someone you
might have accidentally ignored because you figured you had nothing
in common. Ask questions about his or her upbringing. Find stories to
which you can relate. Stand up for someone who gets ridiculed. Befriend
someone who sits alone at lunchtime. Make someone laugh. Practicing
tolerance not only makes others feel good; it can totally brighten your
day. Everybody wins!
Credit: United Nations
10 EMBRACING OUR DIFFERENCES
A Herald-Tribune Media Group Newspaper in Education Publication