MuseumSeptember 10, 2004
UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM WELCOMES SECRETARY POWELL’S DECLARATION OF GENOCIDE IN DARFUR
Museum’s Committee on Conscience Has Issued Genocide Emergency for Region
WASHINGTON, DC — The United States Holocaust Museum’s Committee on Conscience said today that it welcomes Secretary of State Colin Powell’s classification of the catastrophe in Darfur as genocide.
“Secretary Powell’s acknowledgement of genocide in Darfur is unprecedented and an important development,” said Jerry Fowler, Committee on Conscience staff director. “But more important than what it is called is acting to prevent its continuation. The U.N. and the international community must now work to stop the killing and bring relief to the region.”
The Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Committee on Conscience first issued a “genocide warning” for Darfur in January 2004 and raised it to a “genocide emergency” in July 2004, meaning that genocide is occurring or imminent.
Mandated by Congress, the Holocaust Memorial Museum is America’s national memorial to the Holocaust. A public-private partnership that has welcomed more than 21 million visitors, the Museum brings the history and lessons of the Holocaust to the nation through educational outreach, teacher training, traveling exhibitions, and scholarship. The Committee on Conscience guides the Museum’s efforts to educate about, prevent and respond to contemporary genocide. For more information, visit www.ushmm.org/conscience.
Jerry Fowler is available for media interviews.
