Letter to the Editor 3, 10/9/08

Dear Editor, We are writing in response to Giles Howard’s Oct. 8 column, which lambasted STAND… Dear Editor, We are writing in response to Giles Howard’s Oct. 8 column, which lambasted STAND for our focus on the genocides in Darfur and Burma. Howard argues that genocide is not a pre-eminent issue. We disagree. Genocide is the worst crime man can commit against man: the unequivocally expressed and unrelenting aim to permanently wipe a group and their unique culture off the face of the Earth. ‘ Our role is to be a watchdog, to alert students when genocide is happening around the world and to give them a way to make a change. If we followed Howard’s advice and ignored Darfur, we would find ourselves in a university without information regarding this primary humanitarian crime. STAND has implemented change on both the local and national level. Howard cannot dismiss our achievements so casually. Our work led the University to policies of divestment in corporations that have significant business ties with the regime in Sudan. It is our thousands of annual letters that encourage Rep. Mike Doyle and his peers to speak loudly in the U.S. Congress about actions we can take in Darfur. Through divestment advocacy we went outside the ivory tower, succeeding in moving the Pittsburgh government to divest from Sudan. Together with advocates around the country, we led the fight for the national government to ease the passage of 27 state divestment laws. Our lobbying has led to financial support of troops that protect Darfuris from future attacks. It safeguards women who must gather firewood away from the safety of the camps from being raped, from being humiliated, beaten or killed. That relief is tangible. If Howard would have talked with more than one member of STAND, he would have realized that we are involved in more than the genocide in Darfur. We work with Keep It Real, ASA and the Humanitarian Environmental Alliance to support local endeavors. Next time Howard should get his facts straight. But it comes down to this: If we in America do not speak out for those who have no voice, who will? The people of Darfur have had their voices silenced by the devils on horseback who raid their villages at the break of dawn. To think that your vote and your voice do not impact international politics is sheer naivete. Our votes and actions help sway how our government takes action, and it plays a leading role in the international community. Genocide is expensive and difficult to carry out; the complicity of the international community determines its success. We must end that complicity. Genocide is not just someone else’s problem, it is our problem. We implore readers to get involved in stopping human rights abuses wherever they might be, at home or abroad. Anna Siegel and Sarah Grill Vice Presidents of STAND