Student Activism

At a recent Amnesty conference, Amnesty activist Chaniel Clark shared a poem she had written about her views on Amnesty and the world.  We loved the poem and wanted to share it with our readers.  Remember, we love recieving things like this so if you have a poem, song, piece of art, or even just an opinion about Amnesty International or human rights, send it over! You might just be featured in your own post in this blog!

Amnesty Lights

By Chaniel Clark

Anybody got a light? I said anybody got a light?

And I'm not talking about a book of matches or a fluorescent bulb

But a light like a raging fire ready to set aflame others

To bring change and awareness to the injustices of our sisters and brothers

Ya see Martin said injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere and it seems to those suffering that no one gives a care,

and like dying leaves their freedom is floating carelessly in the air, never to be seen again

From the displacements in the Darfur region to the rising AIDS epidemic in India,

Domestic violence, child soldiers, and extrodinary rendition

I stand to make a noise of the likes you've never seen 

I got heart ladies and gents my eyesight is very keen

And I see you struggling and wondering if it'll ever end

When it seems like we've won a fight we realize the battle is bout to begin

But there's something, something so special about a body of people, willing to work to end a shot of a poison so lethal, a crime unpunished, an act justified

An eye for eye, tooth for tooth we life in a world intensified

By terrorism and unfair wages, men shackled and placed in cages

No trial, just jury or 12 peers

The heart of men more uncivilized than they appear

I shudder at the thoughts of a world in which my kids will live in

Where torture is permissive and people are stigmatized by their culture, sexual orientation, or the color of their skin.

But with sisters and brothers like you,

I keep hope alive, knowing that there's force, a fire, an Amnesty so bright

So shine on good people, don't lose heart we're joined together, but at times worlds apart, by the blood in our veins and the compassion in our hearts.     

Peace,

Erica

It's everyone's favorite time of year again, re-registration time! In order for your group to continue getting all the great resources that Amnesty provides please re-register your group for the 2006-07 year! There is a suggested $50 contribution from high school groups and $100 from colleges to help cover costs of resources such as the Activist Toolkit, publications, campaign tools and other materials. Groups are given an extensive time frame (roughly the academic year) to contribute, so don't let it keep you from registering your student grop!

For first-timers out there, when you register you'll receive Urgent Actions, the Activist Toolkit, invitations to important Amnesty events, and more. Plus, you'll be making a crucial contribution to the organization's work. To learn more click here.

Peace,

Laura and Zodiac

The nominations for MTVs 2006 Video Music Awards (VMAs) have been announced, and among the nominees is the band 10 Years' video for their song "Wasteland".  The video, which contains Amnesty International footage and a presentation of Amnesty's mission at its conclusion, has been nominated in both the Best Director (Kevin Kerslake) and Best Art Direction categories.

The "Wasteland" video profiles a series of individuals who have been victim to human rights abuses in their own countries.  Head over to AI's homepages for Sudan, Kosovo (Serbia and Montenegro), El Salvador, North Korea, Colombia, and Cambodia for more information on the issues discussed in the clip.  You can check out the video in it's entirety at MTV's VMA website. 

10 Years is not the only band or musician that has spoken out in support of Amnesty.  Take a look at the Music for Human Rights and Make Some Noise! campaigns to see what other artists are rocking out for human rights. 

We wish 10 Years the best of luck at this year's VMAs and will definetly be tuning in when the show airs on Thursday, August 31 on MTV!

Later,

Erica

Not to storm on your beach party, but the summer is almost over and the coming school year is right around the corner. That means it's time to get pumped for another great year of human rights work! This year you don't have to go it alone because you've got 1,600 other student groups with you. Now is your chance to voice your concerns, ask your questions, and share your tips. Are you an Amnesty vet or just starting a group? If you've got questions or answers we want 'em. Here are a few to get the ball rolling. Post your own questions and answers to this blog!

How do you recruit members?

How do you broaden your appeal and diversify your group?

What events are you planning this semester?

How do you get your funding and what do you do with it?

Keep an eye out for the September issue of the High School Action Pack with more tips on recruitment and starting off the school year from our own AIUSA experts.

Peace,

Laura

Amnesty International  has sent fact finding mission forces to Israel and Lebanon. These country specialists are interviewing survivors and local aid workers in the danger zones of southern Lebanon and northern Israel. In addition to  documenting human rights violations while dodging rockets, each mission is maintaining a "Mission Diary" blog page, which is posted through AI's Israel-Lebanon homepage.

The diary of the Lebanon mission describes conversations with survivors who have heard no news of their families, the widespread destruction of infrastructure and homes, the danger of simply being in a car or outside or even in your home. The Israel mission encounters entire cities with no shelters, where the people have no safer place to be when the sirens go off than in the middle of the street, looking at the sky, waiting for the rockets. Entire populations are suffering from trauma and anxiety while they pass weeks hiding underground, if they are so fortunate. The Lebanese mission stumbles through villages reduced to rubble, alerted to bodies buried beneath the debris by roaming dogs. They interview eye witnesses of attacks, joining the ranks of a population too afraid to risk fleeing, too afraid to step outside their home, too afraid to be in a home that might come down on them at a moment's notice.

New entries are posted daily.       --Zodiac--

student activism | civilians | Israel | Lebanon | blogs | human rights

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Help Amnesty International call on the US Government to support an immediate ceasefire for the Middle East!  All across the world today people will be taking part in Ceasefire Vigils to call attention to this cause.  Do your part and attend or plan a vigil today.  Find a vigil in your area and get involved!

If you can't take part in a vigil today there are many other ways you can get involved with this issue.  Sign our online petition, write a letter, or tell someone else to do the same.  Add your voice to the call, the time to act is now.

Check out Amnesty's website for more information on today's Global Ceasefire Vigil and the Israel/Lebanon conflict.

Later,

Erica

The current conflict between Israel and Lebanon has been going on for three weeks now, and the number of civilian casualties rises to more shocking heights everyday: already hundreds have died in Lebanon alone. Calls for a ceasefire have been unable to bring even temporary peace to the region. Tensions are high worldwide for those who identify with victims on both sides of the conflict. It forces one to wonder if there will ever be a resolution to the problems that plague the Middle East.

History tells us that if there is hope, it may rest with us, the youth. While reading one of the many Washington Post articles on the conflict yesterday (What Next, Lebanon?), I noticed how many of the quotes came from students and young people. Many of these voices came together to appear on a Christian Lebanese show, "Talk of the People." Despite having diverse and fiercely passionate opinions, the students seemed to agree that the forces deciding the future of their country are not acting in Lebanon's interest. For this reason, some students view Israel, Iran, and Hezbollah as the same.

In another scene in the article interviewers talked to volunteers as they helped refugees at a Lebanese university. One 21 year-old said, "The country's all ruined now...Not just what was reconstructed [after the civil war in the 1980s] but everything. It's all ruined."  Although his words show the dismal spirit that seems to prevail throughout the country, they also represent the urgent desire for peace that many young people in the Middle East are feeling. We can only hope that this desire will compel students on all sides to unite to bring an end to the violence.

Peace,

Laura

Amnesty International is urging its supporters to hold vigils for the Israel-Lebanon conflict across the country and the world this Monday, August 7th.

The message:

• We call for a ceasefire.
• We demand that all governments stop the supply of arms to the conflict.
• We stand in solidarity with the victims and survivors on both sides of the Israel/Lebanon conflict.

A vigil can be an organized gathering in a home or public space, or simply a moment of silence alone or with your family. Sundown is a great time, which on Monday will be 8:13pm. All vigil events should be totally apolitical. The tone should be one of solidarity and compassion, with victims and survivors on both sides.

If you are interested in holding a public vigil, learn about the guidelines and tips for public spaces, speakers, signs, remaining apolitical and more @ our CeaseFire Vigil page.

This is a great chance to feel connected to activists and concerned individuals all around the world, and right at home. Even if you don't have the opportunity to join with others, just lighting a candle at home brings us all together.

Zodiac

p.s. Keep up with the latest news on our site!

student activism | Israel | Lebanon | Vigil | human rights

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"We cannot allow any investigation into the events in Qana to be a whitewash. What is needed here is an independent investigation which can look at all credible reports of serious violations of international humanitarian law taking place in this conflict."  AI is calling for an investigation by the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission (IHFFC).

The results of the IDF investigation state that the IDF "operated according to information that the building was not inhabited by civilians." Yet survivors of the attack interviewed by Amnesty International researchers in Qana shortly after the bombing stated that they had been in the building for some two weeks and that their presence must have been known to Israeli forces whose surveillance drones frequently flew over the village.

Also, issuing warnings to the civilian population to leave the area does not absolve Israel of its responsibilities under customary international humanitarian law. Intentionally launching a disproportionate or indiscriminate attack or intentionally directing attacks at civilians or civilian objects is a war crime. The concept of "free-fire" zones is incompatible with international humanitarian law.

Visit our news site to  stay current on the Israel-Lebanese conflict from the human rights perspective.

Zodiac

student activism | Israel | Lebanon | Qana | human rights

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Odds are you've heard about conflict diamond trades in Sierra Leone.  The issue has been highlighted by both Amnesty International and other groups around the globe.  One issue you may not have heard as much about are the problems that the women of Sierra Leone face on a daily basis.

The largest problem?  Their justice system.  As citizens of the United States, we pride ourselves on our right to a fair and balanced trial regardless of our gender.  For the women of Sierra Leone, this right is often completely and violently ignored.  Take the case of one woman who was a victim of sexual violence at the hands of her own husband.  When she went to the authorities to have him charged, they told her to resolve the issue inside the family.  The woman and her four children were completely dependent on her husband financially and she was told it would not be wise to turn her husband in.

"They warned me not to go to the police about my husband raping me or not paying for the children," she said, "they would just lock him up and there would be no chance that he would pay."

Cases like this are prevalent throughout the nation and have motivated Amnesty International to launch a new campaign to call attention to the problems of women in Sierra Leone.  AI is fighting to change laws that equate women to minors and result in neglect of women who are seeking justice for the crimes committed against them.

Check out Amnesty International's press release for more information on the issue and to find out what you can do.

Later,

Erica