The Realist Idealist

Last year I spent several weeks in Northern Uganda, Rwanda, and Eastern Congo - all bordering each other, and all three having been ravaged by genocide in recent years. In the case of Eastern Congo, the conflict is ongoing. I sent letters and wrote a few short pieces about my time there.

To be in those places was at times beyond intense… it was completely and utterly overwhelming. In every sense of the word. As I’ve tried to relay some of my thoughts and feelings to friends and colleagues, I’m often asked “what can we do about it?” What can WE do about genocide?

While I am in no way an authority on the matter, there are some actions a US citizen can take. I’m not sure how effective these measures always are, but taken en masse I do believe they begin the process of making “better” things happen.

Yesterday at a nonprofit techie event called “Social Sites for Social Good” (which I’ll write about later) I received a sheet with these 5 actions from the Genocide Intervention Network. I think the sheet boils it down better than anything I could write on my own - particularly in the case of Darfur which is by far the most well known of the conflict zones around the globe.

1. (Not surprisingly) Join the Genocide Intervention Network.

2. Write/Call/Visit Your Elected Officials.

3. Hold an Event

4. Write Your Local Newspaper

5. Divest from Sudan

Given the political climate of the year, there is also an opportunity for people to bring up their concerns to the Presidential Candidates. They all have online forums in which any citizen can participate.

- Post a video to YouTube’s Citizen Tube with your question/concerns.

- Write to the candidates or start a thread in their online discussion groups.