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WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S.
Representative Jan Schakowsky joined other Members of Congress today at a press
conference on Capitol Hill to condemn the genocide in Sudan and to urge Congress
and the President to take action to restore security to the Darfur region. The
event was sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus and Jewish Members of
Congress, highlighting the shared concern of the African American and Jewish
communities over the genocide in Sudan.
Representative Schakowsky’s full
remarks are below, as prepared for delivery:
“I’m proud to join so many of
my colleagues here today who refuse to stand by in silence while tens of
thousands of lives are being lost in Sudan. As we mourn the massive slaughter of
innocent human beings, we renew our commitment to stopping genocide in Darfur.
It is shameful that the world has let this tragedy go on for so long.”
“It has been almost a year
since Congress declared the killing in Sudan to be genocide, yet since then tens
of thousands of people have been killed. As many as 400,000 Sudanese have died.
More than two million people have been displaced from their homes. The U.N. has
labeled the crisis in Darfur as the world’s top humanitarian disaster. And,
still, the U.S. has failed to act in a meaningful way.”
“I think about the genocide
in Sudan not only as a member of Congress, but also as a Jew and as a
grandmother. Two months ago Jews observed Holocaust Remembrance Day here
in the Capitol, and we said ‘Never Again’ as a promise that we will never allow
the world to sit by and do nothing while innocent lives are being lost to
genocide. Yet, time and again, the world allows it to occur. I don't want
to have to look into the eyes of my grandchildren one day and have them ask me:
‘Grandma, you were there, you were in Congress when all of those innocent lives
were being taken, what did you do’? Each of us has to face the next
generation, and we must act now to stop the killing in Sudan or we will be
forced to explain our failure to them. We have already let too much time
pass.
“During one of my first
visits to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, I read a famous Dante
quote being displayed. It read: ‘The darkest places in hell are reserved
for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.’ I join my
colleagues here today as we encourage communities across the nation, the
Congress, and the President to refocus needed attention on the world’s worst
humanitarian tragedy. The U.S. and our allies must stop the genocide in Sudan.
The time for action has long since passed.” |
