Never Again...yet, again.

The Holocaust may be the main focus or train of thought when one hears the word "genocide". It is not, however, the only genocide.

The March of Remembrance and Hope focuses on this era in history as we can see anti-semitism prevalent in modern society, still, and because the Holocaust touched so many different groups; gays, lesbians, Jews, soldiers, handicapped, Roma, everyday civilians, different races, religions, etc.

Inside the exhibit at Majdanek Extermination Camp,
outside Lublin, Poland.

What is Genocide? 
"The deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group" (MRH Notebook, 2011).
"Raphael Lemkin, a Jewish refugee who fled Poland to the United States, introduced the term genocide in 1944 to describe what was happening in Nazi-occupied Europe. In 1948, the United Nations adopted the UN Genocide Convention, which defined genocide as certain acts undertaken with the intent to destroy, in whole or in substantial part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group, as such. In agreeing to the Genocide Convention, nations promised to "undertake to prevent" genocide. (Committee on Conscience).

Major 20th century Genocides:
*information taken from the MRH Notebook, 2011
- 1915-17: Ottoman Turkey vs Armenians. 1-1.5 million murdered
- 1929-53: Soviet Union vs Anti-Communists/Anti-Stallanists. 20 million murdered.
- 1933-45: Nazi Germany and Occupied Europe vs Jews, Gypsies, Gays, Poles, etc, etc. 13 million murdered.
- 1949-52, 57-60, 66-76: China vs Anti-Communists, Rural Populations, Pro-reformers. 20 million murdered.
- 1960-81: Guatemala vs Maya Indians. 100,000 murdered.
- 1971-79: Uganda vs Christians, Political Revials. 300,000 murdered.
- 1975-79: Cambodia vs Educated Persons. 1 million murdered.
- 1994: Rwanda (Hutus) vs Tutsis. 800,000 - 1 million murdered.
- TODAY: Sudan (Muslim Arab militias) vs Black African (non-Arab Muslims) from Darfur. 200,000 murdered


As well as the following Genocides:
1. Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge.
A communist group in 1975, led by Pol Pot. The group wanted to overhaul society and create a peasant / agriculture society. They used consolidated power: you were imprisoned / shot if educated, of a different religion, etc. 1.2 - 1.7 million murdered.

2. Srebrenica, former Yugoslavia.
7,800 Bosniak men / boys were murdered in 1991-95 by the Serbians. Srebrenica was meant to be a haven for refugees, guarded by the UN. The Serbs made the UN flee, rounded up and deported the Bosniak men / boys, and shot them.

Wall of photos of the Prisoners of War
at Auschwitz.

3. Rwanda, the Hutus vs the Tutsis.
In 100 days in 1994, 800,000 people were killed. Jean-Paul Akayesu was the first person to stand trial for genocide, and was charged for 9 counts of genocide and crimes against humanity. He was organizing this genocide.

4. Darfur, the Janjaweed group.
Fighting for independence from the Sudanese government, and this is ongoing, today, although the height was between 2003-2005. In these few years, 200,000 were murdered, 2.5 million were driven away, there have been many rapes, etc. In 2004, the UN failed to call this a genocide.


How Can I Help?


STAND: Students Taking Action Now: Darfur


Genocide Intervention Network

Committee on Conscience

Darfur Action Group

"'Never Again' is the rallying cry for all who believe that mankind must speak out against genocide" - Jon Corzine.