Americans Who Tell the Truth

 

Political injustice in the extreme is represented in acts of genocide throughout history. The United States has had varied relationships to genocide and it is an area well worth study.  Stereotypically, students consider World War II and the Holocaust  the most important or even, singular, connection of our country to  genocide. And in that case, we are portrayed as the heroes, those who would never commit such atrocities. Therefore, it is essential that any study of hate violence expand and strengthen each student s knowledge regarding that point of view. We have offered here a few examples of what teachers can use to meet that goal. 

 

First, students should learn the complexities and challenges in defining genocide. This very question created enough doubt in President Bill Clinton s administration that our country ignored the plight of Rwandans during the genocide of 1994. A study of that specific series of events would be essential for students to grasp the complexities of that arise when considering how to act when confronted with acts of genocide. Important first steps in this process should also include an acknowledgment of the presence of genocide in our own country s history. We must erase the notion that genocide is something that happens  in other countries and cultures. This will, by definition,  include a close examination of the history of the native peoples of our land and slavery. 

 

Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction of an ethnic, racial, religious or national group.

While precise definition varies among genocide scholars, a legal definition is found in the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Article 2 of this defines genocide as "any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life, calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; [and] forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

 

Using that definition, ask students to identify historical events that they feel would qualify as genocide. This can provide an excellent opportunity to use critical thought skills when examining events, allowing students to go deeper than surface information. 

 

 

 

Facing History and Ourselves: Extensive program based on the study of genocide in schools. 

 

Against Forgetting: Twentieth Century Poetry of Witness:

An anthology of poetry collected from witnesses and victims of hate violence and crimes. The book is divided into specific areas of the world and periods in history. Excellent resource for broadening student knowledge.

Edited and introduced by Carolyn Forche

 

A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide

By Samantha Power

This is a Pulitzer Prize winning book that can be used by an adult instructor or youth worker and then shared with students in ways that are appropriate. It is considered to be a definitive work on genocide.

 

 

An Australian film that examines the relationship of the aboriginal people and the white colonists.The film includes a powerful visual section that would facilitate conversation about the roles individuals play in these extreme circumstances and give students a framework for self examination. The song,  All Men Choose the Path They Walk  could be used on its own to study these same questions of participation in genocide.  The film is extremely challenging to watch as it is a very realistic, honest portrayal of the subject matter. Teachers should always screen all films recommended in this guide; this one in particular would require that anaylysis prior to use. The soundtrack of the film could also be used to examine this period of genocide and serves as an excellent piece to study the nature of genocide in general. 

In the film, The Tracker, there are five characters who play a role in the violence and social injustice portrayed in the film. These five are identified in this way in the song that is featured on the soundtrack of the film. The entire soundtrack can be downloaded online on itunes but is not available any longer unfortunately. The soundtrack serves as an excellent piece of music that shares the story of a people who have experienced the violence of genocide. 

 

Using these five roles in the events of the film, we can generalize and see that these individuals are found throughout historical events. Students can use these to organize the actions of individuals to help make some kind of  sense  out of the events we name as genocides historically and currently.

 

      

THE FUGITIVE

( this is the character in the film who is an Aboriginal man accused of a crime but as you see in the story, ALL Aborigine peoples suffer violence constantly , as they are slowly eliminated and their ways, become extinct)

 

Some men are prone to misadventure

Questions of guilt aren t always clear

Some men run from a fate they can t avoid

All men choose the path they walk.

 

THE VETERAN

( this character is a war veteran now part of the search party in his role as officer in the armed services; he is tired and has seen much injustice but he cannot bring himself to act; he does not actively participate nor does he actively object to what s going on)

 

Some can t be faulted for their reasons

Failing to justly intervene,

Some men hide from the memories that haunt 

All men choose the path they walk.

 

       

THE FOLLOWER

( this character actively participates because he believes he must in his role as soldier, though he knows what he is doing is wrong; he puts duty first; he s also very afraid of the consequences of disobeying orders)

 

Some men see everything as duty

Cast off responsibility

Some men regret that their courage sometimes failed

All men choose the path they walk.

 

THE FANATIC

( this character is giving the orders and seems to be morally bankrupt)

 

Some men have attitude that s righteous

Care not about the consequence

Some men fight with a violence inside

All men choose the path they walk

 

THE TRACKER

( this character is also an Aborigine and his spiritual and ancestral beliefs create the wisdom he needs to free himself from the circumstances of his life)

 

Some men have reached their destination

Finding their own serenity

Some men lead others till they recognize

That all men choose the path they walk.

 

 

A difficult film about the calculated destruction of the Aboriginal peoples of Australia. The film makes an excellent accompaniment for comparison with films about the same treatment the Native American tribes received at the hands of European colonists here in the United States.

 

 

The biography of John Trudell, Native American activist which documents current efforts related to the genocide of the Native American community. The film begins in the late 1960s, when Trudell and a community group, Indians of All Tribes, occupied Alcatraz Island for 21 months in a symbolic effort to claim the island for the Indian people. The event brought international attention to the American Indian cause and helped to ignite the contemporary Indian People s Movement. An important film also available at pbs.org.Clips of John Trudell reading his poetry and performing music can also be seen by students on the website at pbs.org.

 

A film that examines the genocide of the Native American people in great detail.

Excellent resource.

 

Rwanda:  

 

A study of Rwanda is very helpful in understanding the role of the United States, the United Nations and the many ways that hate of one group toward another can be manipulated for other reasons over long periods in history. This study serves as a very important look at colonialism. Additionally, it demonstrates the deliberate manipulation of two groups of human beings in order to create  artificial differences between them, Students can see how , over time, the two can be taught to fear and hate one another, leaving those in power free to exploit both groups. This is a study that has lasting implications for students in ways that will serve them well in the future. Comparisons to current circumstances in Burma, Darfur, Iraq,Israel and Palestine can be made. Most students understand well the notion of those in power manipulating those not in power to turn against one another for their own purposes. They often see this in their own social circles and communities. Understanding the dire consequences of this behavior will help them resist this in their own lives and give them the resilience they will need for the future. An in-depth curriculum for this study is available through contacting this site or michyh@bellsouth.net

 

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