An ocean away, a woman cries herself to sleep. She lives in fear of being raped or killed; she fears the roving militia will take her sons or kill her daughters. She is afraid to go outside, but she must, for her family has no food. An eternity later, she returns home to her children, with enough food for only one of them, and must choose which child will eat-and which child will starve. She lives in a country called Darfur, in the midst of a terrible state-sponsored genocide, and she cries because no one is coming to help her. She is an ocean away, but that does not mean we can ignore her cries. Without help, that woman and the thousands like her have no hope of survival. But what can be done?

At the October Board of Education meeting, several students presented a club they wished to start, a chapter of an anti-genocide organization called STAND. With the approval of the Board, a chapter has been started at Central.

STAND is an organization whose goal is to end genocide. With events such as STAND Fast, which raises money for civilian protection projects in countries such as Darfur and Sudan, STAND is making headway against the atrocities happening overseas, and the indifference and lack of awareness at home. STAND has chapters across the United States and abroad, who fight to gain media attention and aid for genocide-stricken countries.

One of these chapters is right here, at Central Regional.

Everyone is encouraged and welcome to attend a meeting, see the advisors -Mrs. Pasternak and Ms. Pingitore-, or visit STAND’s website, www.standnow.org.

Entering the arena of global affairs is not something you must be 18 or older to do. If anything in this article struck a chord with you, now is the time to become an activist. Be a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves. Now is the time to join together and STAND against genocide. With enough people involved, genocide can and will be stopped.