Genocide Presentation-Reflection

Dr. Kennedy’s presentation on genocide was very eye-opening. Genocide is a very dark and depressive subject, but needs to be talked about. I thought that the way Dr. Kennedy presented the information was very illuminating and interesting. She began her presentation by making the information relevant and easy to relate to by telling a story, comparing her daughter and another girl her same age from Rwanda. This story was very sad, but it got the audience’s attention about the subject. It is very interesting to compare and contrast the two girls. They were very similar individuals, however the major difference of course was where they were from. It is scary to think that anyone of us could have been subjected to those conditions. We are very lucky to live in a free country where genocide does not take place. However, like Dr. Kennedy said we have an obligation (being humans) to help to try and prevent things like this from happening. It is very sad to think that genocide can still happen in the world today. Throughout the presentation Dr. Kennedy provided the history of genocide in which she gave statistics, pictures, locations, and prominent figures associated with each tragedy. She also provided reasons and insight to why certain regions of the world were subjected to genocide. I thought that her presentation was very moving because she did more than just give out facts and statistics about genocide. Dr. Kennedy was able to share the stories of the people of Sudan and show us the faces of those who have suffered from these horrible conditions. Seeing the faces of the people who were impacted by these conditions makes it more powerful and has a greater impact to me. Dr. Kennedy ended her presentation with a powerful message that genocide needs to be stopped and there are things we can all do to help prevent genocide. One of the major things that we can do to help prevent genocide is to create awareness of this issue. By informing the public we can create a stronger argument for the government to act and to get involved. We can all make a difference in this world and if we can come together as a nation I believe we can help to put a stop to genocide. This can help to save the lives of those who are enduring this atrocity.