Many of us were in Washington on April 30 for the rally for the victims of genocide in Darfur. I saw many kippot, and representatives of many Jewish organizations mixed in the crowd. The relatively scant news coverage of the event suggests, I think, that the overall turnout was disappointing. How tragic! In our celebrity-obsessed society, the newsworthiness of the rally seemed bolstered only by the appearance of George Clooney. Those who did attend, however, should feel good about their efforts.

Alas, feeling good and patting ourselves on the back will not solve the problem; it represents merely the very beginning of the effort. And if we go on feeling content, satisfied that we have done what we can, and that the rest is up to the Bush Administration, we will have, in my opinion, let down the very people whose horrific plight moved us to spend countless hours on buses and trains for this event in the first place.

Just as pressure must be brought on the Sudanese Government to stop this outrageous slaughter, so must we, as Americans, bring pressure to bear on our own representatives. After all, we are a nation at war, with numerous problems, both internationally as well as on the homefront. Our elected officials are presented, on a daily basis, with a cacophony of voices, urging action upon them for one cause or another, many of them quite legitimate. All of these issues vie for the limited attention span and energy of our Senators, Congresspersons and the President. We cannot realistically expect action on behalf of the innocent victims of Darfur unless we loudly and repeatedly demand it. One sunny day on the Mall, filled with music, good cheer and platitudes, however sincere, simply will not cut it. We owe it to the innocents to follow up with letters, e-mails, telegrams and phone calls to our elected representatives insisting that the United States get involved immediately and forcefully to stop the slaughter. We must demand the same efforts of our friends, family members and colleagues.

Nobody of good will can possibly question us for making a public nuisance of ourselves on this issue. But we will surely all have to answer to our God and to posterity for our inaction. We’ve made a good beginning. We cannot afford to drop the ball.

Write or call your representatives. Do it today. Use your own words, or e-mail me, if you like, for suggested language. A miniscule effort by millions will surely be heard. Let us all be heard!

Sincerely,

Warren R. Graham