Red Means Go; Photos to Audio

The Genocide and Holocaust Awareness Club at Keene State College does more than get together and write letters. These passionate individuals go all out with speakers, concerts, and even the occasional dance party. This Friday, the club is putting on a dance party for the Invisible Children.

The Genocide and Holocaust Awareness Club was started three years ago as a way to create awareness on the KSC campus about the holocaust, but also global atrocities happening around the world, and it has been around ever since.

“We try and get our students more active in changing the things in the world that aren’t so great,” said club secretary junior Brittany Sousa.

Helping the unseen

They have put on a few events in the past ranging from helping with the annual Holocaust Memorial Series speakers to special concert events on the L.P. Young Student Center lawn or in the Mabel Brown Room in the L.P. Young Student Center.

This Friday the club was putting on a dance party for the Invisible Children, but is going to be rescheduled for a later date.

Sousa said, “(we) wanted a fun way to raise awareness about human rights violations, in particular the invisible children of Uganda.”

She is referring to the children that have to go out and travel at night for fear of being kidnapped by the militias and rebels and either being killed or turned into children soldiers, never to return home again.

Sousa, along with Sophomore Mackenzie Davison who helped put it together decided to sell baked goods as well as take donations to raise money for the organization to help the children fight against being taken against their will and be able to travel in safety.

“It’s called ‘Dance for Diplomacy.’” she added, “We thought we were pretty clever.”

It was suppose to be on the L.P. Young Student Center lawn but because of possible inclement weather, it has been moved to the Lantern Room inside.

They don't just 'Dance'

Other events though are in the works though with the proven success of the group over campus.

They are going to have a showing of ‘The Devil Came On Horseback’which is a documentary about now former U.S. Marine Brian Steidle sent to monitor a cease fire in Darfur with a Canon camera, paper, and a pen.

Speakers are also on their agenda of events this year including survivors from Rwanda Sousa said. They come from across the country telling their stories of how they managed to survive the horror of living through civil war.

The Genocide and Holocaust Awareness Club meets at 8 p.m. Monday nights in the Cohen Center for Holocaust Studies in the Mason Library.

For those that like to dance though, and those that want to support a good cause, the Genocide and Holocaust Awareness Club’s unorthodox actions of getting student involvement have proved more than successful to getting a large turn out when it isn’t speakers, it’s dancing and music.