Loveland Daily Reporter-Herald - 08/25/2006

Steps to a better world
Cross-country trek aims to focus attention on genocide in Darfur

By Alicia Beard

After the Rwandan genocide in which thousands of Tutsis were killed during a 1994 civil war, international leaders declared, “never again.”
But, 12 years later, it is happening again, says Hasmig Tatiossian. This time in Darfur, Africa.

Tatiossian and fellow Journey for Humanity marchers are walking from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., to raise awareness about genocide.

This week, the group is making stops in Front Range cities, including a visit to Loveland Thursday.

Herself a descendent of a survivor of the 1915 Armenian genocide, Tatiossian said she feels a personal duty to help end genocide.

“That historical memory has been inscribed upon our identity,” she said. “We feel we have a responsibility to carry the torch of awareness.”

The group, sponsored by the United Armenian Students, is joined during the Colorado leg of the four-month journey by the Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action. Essie Garrett, the 1996 Olympic torchbearer for Colorado, is also taking part in this portion of the march.

At each of the Colorado stops, the coalition has set up its exhibit, “The Dead Weight of Complacency.”

The exhibit captures the common traits and history of genocide, starting in the 1400s with the Spanish Inquisition and ending with the present Darfur genocide in western Sudan.

There, three years of militia violence has caused the death of about 400,000 people and the displacement of 2.5 million others.

Roz Duman, coalition founder, said participating in the march provided an opportunity to confront complacency and a lack of education.

“Every year we say, ‘never again,’ and ‘What lessons have we learned from the Holocaust?’” she said. “We felt we had to do something about this.”

Along the way, participants are holding rallies and meeting with lawmakers, Tatiossian said. By the time their millions of steps take them to Washington in October, she said she hopes a movement takes hold; that people begin to remember that we are all part of the human race.

“Genocide is a crime against humanity, all humanity,” she said. “It’s a crime that affects everyone.”

Source: LovelandFYI