I am sure that everyone at Virginia Tech knows of the Holocaust, and I am sure most have studied it at some point. Although it seems as if genocide is a thing of the past, and could not possibly be going on in the 21st century, it is.

Darfur, which is located in Sudan, is currently experiencing genocide. Innocent civilians are being killed and millions have been displaced from their homes. These people are mainly women and children who then flee to refugee camps, yet it is hard to escape the threat of rape or murder.

The African Union is trying to keep the peace in Darfur, but their forces are small and poorly equipped. The United States needs to use their political muscle to influence the United Nations to send more peacekeeping troops and money to Sudan to help the A.U. Rallies were held this past weekend in cities across the country urging the U.S. government to take action. The first speaker at the Washington, D.C. rally, which I attended, was Elie Wiesel, a well-known survivor of the Holocaust. He explained to the huge crowd that when he and his people were being persecuted, there was no one there, and that is exactly why we need to be there for Darfur. I urge each of you not to stand by and be indifferent to this genocide.

These people in Darfur are just like us; they are mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters. Please log on to www.savedarfur.org and sign a postcard to President Bush urging him to take action. Write to your members of Congress and tell them that this is important to you. This is the first genocide of the 21st century, and as many said at the rally on Sunday ? let?s make it the last.