FOR IMMIDIATE RELEASE
September 20, 2006

Ruzanna Avetisyan
pr@journeyforhumanity.com
(323) 464 0479
(800) 657 1707

MARCHERS STRUGGLE TO BALANCE WALKING AND MULTIPLE EVENTS

The six committed marchers continue walking on the Journey for Humanity, a 3,000 mile march from Los Angeles, CA to Washington D.C., raising awareness and action about the human problem of genocide. They crossed into Iowa from Nebraska, on 16 September 2006, after several days of meetings with reporters, the staff of elected officials, and the community at large.

On 14 September 2006, two successful meetings at the offices of Nebraska Congressman Jeff Fortenberry and Senator Chuck Hagel were followed by an enthusiastic community discussion with the employees of Hudson Bay Company. The marchers spoke about the need to study genocide holistically, learning from the patterns between all cases, in order to prevent this crime against humanity. They also spoke about the reception the Journey has received. “People have been interested in what’s going on in Darfur. It is not difficult to describe the pain of a Darfurian mother, who has lost her child, to an American mother. A mother can relate to a mother, and this is how the human experience of genocide can be understood,” said Hasmig Tatiossian, one of the marchers. The group asserts that genocide is a human problem and that “it makes all of us victims or survivors,” added Vahe Abovian, another marcher. Different ways of getting involved were also discussed, particularly, the new Campus Action Plan that can be found on the group’s website, www.JourneyforHumanity.com. The Hudson Bay Company, a non-profit organization that fundraises for human rights groups, presented the marchers with a surprise monetary contribution.

The following day, the marchers met with representatives of Iowa Congressman Steve King and Senator Charles Grassley. That evening, they spoke about genocide with junior high and high school-aged Sudanese students at the Center for Hope in Omaha. “Seeing the smiling faces of these children, some of whom have witnessed atrocities, makes me happy. If our work is going to save one child, it’s worth it,” expressed a marcher, Albrik Zohrabyan.

In recognition of the Global Day for Darfur on September 17 2006, the marchers took a detour off their planned route, and participated in a rally in Des Moines, one of many that took place around the country. Organized by Des Moines for Darfur, with the collaboration of the local chapter of Amnesty International, the rally took place on the steps of the Capitol Building. Among the speakers was renowned genocide scholar, Erik Markusen, who gave an update on the grave situation in Darfur. The Journey for Humanity marchers also spoke, bringing special attention to individuals’, the media’s, and legislators’ responsibility to stop the genocide in Darfur. A solemn sense of urgency was added to the rally by the attendance of a group of Sudanese who held posters of the victims of the 21st century’s first genocide. Struck by the photographs, Levon Sayadyan, a member of the Journey for Humanity team, intimated, “When you looked into the eyes of the victims, the color of their skin or their features made no difference at all. You saw that they were human eyes and they needed our help.”

The marchers are currently walking through Iowa and are scheduled to arrive to Illinois on 27 September 2006, where they will hold more meetings with elected officials and a major rally in Chicago. For more information on upcoming events, please visit www.JourneyforHumanity.com.