Civil Rights

Those with Armenian, Jewish and Cambodian heritage, among others, understand all too well what happens when good people remain silent and allow atrocities to continue unabated. Last week, they were among the thousands who attended a rally for those affected by the strife and unrest in Darfur. Although many at the rally had divergent political and economic views, tragic situations have a unique way of compelling many people to speak with one voice.

The Darfur conflict began in February 2003, when rebels launched attacks seeking greater political autonomy. In response, Sudan's Islamic government dispatched troops and pro-government militias known as the Janjaweed to quell the uprising. The militias embarked on a campaign of terror, killing and raping civilians mostly from ethnic groups.

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Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Rep. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-Wis.) introduced legislation to reauthorize portions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that were set to expire next year. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) spoke about the importance of the legislation

The Voting Rights Act is the most important Civil Rights legislation of the 20th Century...It enforced the 15th Amendment, ensuring that all Americans could enjoy the most basic right of citizens in a democracy – the right to vote. Unfortunately, even in the 21st Century we continue to see attempts to disenfranchise minority voters. We cannot permit the Voting Rights Act to expire and leave the next generation of Americans without full protection for their voting rights.

This past Sunday, April 30, 2006, I took part in a momentous event in the name of ending the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. The crowd of nearly 75,000 men, women, and children from all over the U.S. and even parts of Africa, assembled on the National Mall that beautiful spring day to chant and cheer with resounding enthusiasm as Members of Congress, celebrities, religious leaders, student and community activists spoke of the critical needs in Darfur and gave suggestions for ending the genocide. It was an overwhelming sight to look out from the stage at the faces of people united to bring more attention to the ongoing atrocities going on half a world away. I was reminded of previous marches on Washington when people stood for peace and justice for all. Read more...

More than 10,000 people gathered in the National Mall on Sunday, while thousands more attended rallies across the country, to support the suffering people of Darfur. Music and film stars have helped attract more attention to the cause, and the White House has expressed its concern.All this is good news.

When the Holocaust unfolded, there were no rallies, there were no demonstrations, there was no legislation, there was just silence and indifference. I salute everyone who has stood up during these last few weeks and months to tell the oppressors, "We shall no longer mourn this genocide, we shall stop it."

As the Holocaust taught us, a villainous government that persecutes its own people cannot be counted on to keep its word; it must be compelled to do so. Read more...

Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) spoke about what the Bush Administration must do to address the genocide in Darfur at a rally in the National Mall today.

I've seen the Janjaweed outside the refugee camps, walking through the camps. I talked to the women who had been raped while collecting firewood. I've seen the brutal killings, I've been to the camps...I call on the administration to do as much as they can do. We need to deploy the special envoy...We need to put sanctions on the government of Sudan. We need to put a travel ban on the government of Sudan.

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) discussed the need for a more effective approach to ending the genocide in Darfur at a rally in the National Mall this afternoon.

Today, we know what is right and we know what is wrong. The slaughter of innocents is wrong. Two million people driven from their homes is wrong. Women, gang-raped while gathering firewood is wrong. Silence, acquiescence, paralysis in the face of genocide is wrong...If you take a poll of senators and representatives, they will tell you that they too are against genocide. (The Bush) administration, unfortunately, has been better than many European nations in acknowledging the facts on the ground, which is a sad testimony to what is happening around the world. But for all that, not enough has been done and the facts on the ground remain the same.
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First, let me take the opportunity to thank The Hill for providing this forum for my colleagues and I to help keep the public up to speed on what is going on Capitol Hill. Much of what we do up here flies under the radar, so I would like to take a moment to highlight one such event that perhaps should have garnered more interest than it did. Yesterday, the House International Relations Africa and Global Human Rights Subcommittee held a hearing on the tragedy in Northern Uganda. This is one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, and has been for some time, yet few people know what is quietly going on in east Africa nation of Uganda.

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