One Voice + One Voice = Many Voices
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. -Anne Frank
Running in the early morning hours before school is treasured time for me. It’s hard to climb out of those warm covers at 5:15, but somewhere inside me I find the discipline. The lure of time with my iPod takes some sting out of the effort, and this morning the random songs playing in the shuffle mode made me smile; and one in particular stirred my soul. As I listened to Billy Gilman pour out his heart out, I recalled several years ago sitting spellbound in Hendrix Theater as one of our own Lovett students, Jamie H., filled the room with her version of “One Voice”. I remember thinking to myself, “How powerful and moving it is to ‘hear’ a young person’s heart…”
Our 7th grade students will soon embark on a study of Anne Frank and a reading of her diary. It makes me pause. The atrocities of World War II , and the promises made to never again allow genocide “on our watch”, reverberate in my mind. And, it saddens me to think of the an ongoing crisis in Darfur that has killed hundreds of thousands of human beings…a genocide in our lifetime.
What can one voice do? As the legacy of Anne Franks’ words demonstrate, one voice can be heard. And when one voice is added to another the opportunity for change is endless. A colleague of mine, George Mayo, and his 8th grade students, and another teacher, Wendy Drexler and her 3rd grade students, are offering up a platform to collect individual student voices to raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur. For 48 hours beginning March 6th, students from around the world are invited to add their voices to the Many Voices for Darfur blog. Lovett students have been invited personally by Mr. Mayo to add their voices, and the Mayo/Drexler classrooms have compiled current information on the Darfur crisis at their Many Voices Wiki.
One Voice+ Once Voice = Many Voices. I hope Lovett students (and faculty) will exercise their voices on the Many Voices project. We don’t have to wait a single moment longer…thanks, George.
Photo:
This image is called Untitled (1) 2004
Bahai, Chad – on the border of Sudan’s Darfur region
photograph by Michal Ronnen Safdie
from the photo exhibit:
Rwanda: After
Darfur: Now
Filed under: Free Writing, Student Voice, Writing | Tagged: anne frank, billy gilman, civic engagement, darfur, genocide, many voices, one voice, Student Voice
i often wonder if the internet and the easy access to world news that we have today had existed during the Holocaust, would we have just looked at the photos of the atrocities committed, be appalled , talk about it, and write about it . Would there have been voices then? Would voices alone been enough to stop the atrocities? I believe it takes more than a voice , more than many voices to create change. My husband says “What is your point? Should no one complain?” No, my point is , would Hitler have stopped because a lot of people raised their voices against his atrocities? What are many voices going to do besides raise awareness?
I think that our voices need to be heard. The atrocities in Africa need to be helped. It is not fair to have people being forced to join the military or forcd to follow customs that are not their own. We believe in freedom in America and we need to help the rest of the world believe in it as well.
I liked your posts allot. It was very touching and I never new what was happing over in Darfur If there is anything i could do please let me know.
Wow, how moving. This is really scary. What can we do to help? Reading and seeing all of this really makes me want to help the people having to go through this. No one should ever have to go through this sort of disaster. It really makes me thankful for what I have, and makes me want to give and do what i can to help.
It’s sad to think that this is happening while I’m typing right now. I agree with Mrs. Velez. If there had been many voices during the Holocaust, It could have ended earlier or not even started.
I agree with this blog post because I believe that by combining many voices, you can stop anything. I dont agree with Ms. Velez- Nelson’s comment though because though it may seem that by raising your voice you only raise awareness, by raisin awareness you also raise the importance of the issue and you can pressure the government and other people who can help into doing something to help. Raising Voices for Darfur is great because since it is an open wiki space, people across the country can help stop the horrible things hapening in Darfur. This is a very important cause and this is a great way to go about helping it.
I think the problem in Darfur is a huge problem that is not getting enough attention. No one should ever have to go through such scary times. We could all do something to stop it, but we just dont know how. Your friend’s idea of a wiki that everyone comments on is a great idea. Many voices together are much louder than one voice.
I think this was a great story. One voice can be heard. One person cn make a difference. But, if many voices are put together we can really make a difference. In Darfur, millions of people ar dying. There is a genocide going on in Darfur and we need to do somthing about it. We can make a difference. This is a great opportunity for our school to help people in need. Let’s make a difference.
Its hard for me to read all of these articles and watch all of these videos because I sometimes feel like I have so much and there is so much that I can do. These kids are so happy without everthing that we have and I feel like we need to help them if we can. I’m often imspired to do something about it but as a kid its harder than it seems. I am ready to support these children, no matter where it takes me. I often find the image of the boy in the torn clothes and then I imagine him with new clothes, toys and food. I want to see that image all over darfur and all over places that remain in poverty. try to imagine what i imagine, A world for the better, brighter days with hope.
I think all of you guys are right. What’s happening in over their is horrible. We take so much for granted. We complain about little things like what were having for lunch at school when they would go to great lengths to live like we do. when i watch the music videos i realize how great of a life i have.
Thanks for the comments! Here is what you each can do to help if you’re willing:
1. Consider these three questions, and then post your response to one or more of the questions on this blog: http://manyvoicesdarfur.blogspot.com/
If you could visit the camps in Chad and sit down one-on-one with a refugee who is your age, how would you explain what you or others are doing in your country to spread awareness and make a difference?
Write an open letter to Omar al-Bashir pleading your case for the Darfur region of Sudan.
Write an open letter to leaders in your country (President?) to make a case for government support of international efforts in Darfur.
As of this moment, 197 students from around the world have each posted a response. WE NEED TO ADD TO THOSE VOICES!! Will you add yours?
POST YOUR RESPONSE ON THE DARFUR BLOG (http://manyvoicesdarfur.blogspot.com/) BY FRIDAY NIGHT! 36 HOURS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!
Excited to get Trinity School’s “Current Events and Community Service” elective class going on this. They are doing some guided exploring tonight and we will post together tomorrow afternoon.
What an incredible project…I look forward to seeing the voices at Lovett on the blog/wiki.
Powerful!
Megan