by Erin Willahan

This past Fall term, CGO students Christine Mathew and Erin Willahan became involved with the University of Oregon initiative: Genocide and Mass Atrocities Responsibility to Prevent. They were appointed to the steering committee charged with the task of bringing speakers and activists to campus to inspire and inform students and the community about human rights issues globally. In January, the committee invited founder and CEO of Operation Broken Silence (OBS), Mark Hackett to come to the UO. OBS is a human rights organization that seeks to utilize multimedia in combating mass atrocities. It is currently focused on ending the genocide occurring in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan.

As part of his visit to Eugene, Mark Hackett spent an evening with the CGO discussing his work in the Nuba Mountains, his organization, and his documentary “Across the Frontlines” Ending the Nuba Genocide.” After interacting with Mr. Hackett, Christine and Erin drafted a proposal to the initiative steering committee seeking support in attending the Sudan Emergency Action Summit in Washington D.C. in March in order to more actively engage in the issue. The committee unanimously approved their proposal and they were accompanied by genocide scholar Dr. Paul Slovic as representatives of the UO at the summit. While there, they learned more about the conflict and possible resolutions and heard from a diverse array of perspectives including that of countless Sudanese refugees. They also participated in lobbying Congress to support more U.S. involvement in ending the genocide and mass atrocities occurring in Sudan.