A couple years ago my English teacher talked about the Darfur war in Sudan, Africa. She talked to our class about how the war is still going on, and I have not once heard about it in the news or newspapers! Then she introduced us to a book called They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky by Alephonsion Deng, Benson Deng, Benjamin Ajac, and co-author Judy Bernstein. I was completely shocked and thought it is wrong of us to turn our heads and look the other way! There are millions of people that have died and can be killed just for their beliefs. Look at our country; we are strong and powerful. Our country wouldn’t be as strong as it is now if its citizens didn’t share this country with people from different backgrounds and different religions. I don’t understand why the people of Darfur, who come form different backgrounds, can stop fighting and begin to develop their strength.

In the media we always hear about the war in Iraq and what the soldiers over seas are going through, also we heard about Haiti being hit with the earthquake and how much the Haitians needed help. Yes, they are happy, and so am I, that they are being recognized in the media and were being helped out by people in our country. However, I believe it’s not fair that the people of Sudan are not being recognized in the media as they should! They have to deal with being separated from their families and being massacred. They have to walk hundreds of miles, eat mud, and, at desperate times, drink their own urine. Why don’t I hear this on the news? Why are we not offering our help in their time of need?

Two years ago my English Teacher told us kids to help out the world as we get older because we are the generation to fix our world by making a difference and taking action. I thought to myself, why not try making a difference in someone’s life? I know I maybe small, and you probably think of me as just a kid, but I know in my heart it is wrong to look away while this war is going on and millions of people are dying for their religion or the color of their skin!

What we need to do is to take action by sending dictionaries to the people in Sudan so that they can learn English before they are relocated to America. We need to hear and learn more about this so that people in Sudan realize that religion and race don’t matter. We are all human beings.