Blog Action Day : Raise Your Voice for Congo

Since 2007 Blog Action Day has been bringing voices, simultaneously, together around one theme to share collective stories from around the world.

It's a global conversation, if you will.  This year's theme is Raise Your Voice. I think it's important to have global conversations, and further I think it's important to appreciate that in every corner of our world we are all connected in ways that are obvious and also not so obvious. 

Fall of 2011 is when I first felt compelled to Raise My Voice. Thankfully, living in the United States, I am free to do so.

2011 Solo Fundraiser

 

So, what exactly happened in 2011?  Well, it's simple really, I read a series of books. I've always had a special place in my heart with regard to understanding, well maybe understanding is not the correct word, but I've always been drawn to reading about not only the Holocaust, but genocide in general.  In 2011 I stumbled upon a book called Not on Our Watch by John Prendergast and Don Cheadle, which discussed their mission to end genocide in Darfur and beyond.  This lead me to read the Devil Came on Horseback by Brian Streidle, whose brave efforts led to the world even learning that the genocide in Darfur was taking place.  From there I then read Prendergast and Cheadle's second book, The Enough Moment, which outlines the worst human rights crimes in Africa.  

It was while reading The Enough Moment that I had my own personal enough moment.  When I read the chapter about conflict minerals sourced from eastern Congo where the world's largest death toll since WWII had been taking place, and yet not many have even heard of the conflict, that something awakened inside of me.  I was angry.  I was sad.  I was horrified.  I had to Raise My Voice. And Iv'e never stopped since.  

I then read A Thousand Sisters written by a local activist and author in my community, Lisa Shannon.  Like myself, she had a personal stirring inside and Raised Her Voice when she first learned of Conflict Minerals while watching an episode of Oprah. 

In the Fall of 2011 I decided to raise awareness about Conflict Minerals and our connection to them.  These are minerals sourced from Congo which are necessary for our electronic devices to function properly.  The problem is that Congo is the most mineral rich country in the world, and yet the poorest. And this is not an exaggeration.  It's a statistic and a fact.  Militias mine the minerals using local labor which they control through violence and sexual assault. It's a complex situation, which I will not go into here as that is not the focus, but upon learning of the situation in Eastern Congo, I immediately understood my connection.  I use electronic devices, and so I am inadvertently connected to the violence.  I felt with my entire being I had to do something, even if the issues seemed complex and daunting.  Indeed, I take the sentiment following WWII of Never Again to heart.  A death toll in one region of the world due to one conflict cannot ever, and never will, be acceptable. 

I started off Raising my Voice by telling my friends, family and colleagues about Congo. I posted social media.  I ran a solo 54 miles over 6 weeks to raise both awareness and funds to benefit the women of Congo through Women for Women International's Congo program.

This ballooned into planning my own local running charity event for three years and accepting the invitation to become an official volunteer ambassador for Women for Women International.

Equal Exchange team at 2014 charity running event

 
Over the past 4 years I have worked both within my community to raise funds, awareness, and to affect policy with regard to issues on the ground in Eastern Congo.  I reached out to Brian Streidle, Lisa Shannon, and the non-profit founded by John Prendergast, The Enough Project. And, to my initial surprise, I received responses. 

Before I knew it, I was knee deep working to propel forward a movement to help stop the violence in Congo. I  connected with like-minded individuals in my community and we worked together to educate others. 

Like-Minded Individuals at the Portland installation of One Million Bones
at PSU, 2013 (L-R: Clint Baldwin, Anna Canning, Alysha Atma, Me)

I mean how do 5 million people die in one region of the world due to violence fueled through greed over mineral wealth, and very little notice is paid?

What I have learned in the past 4 years is that I was not the only one who Raised My Voice surrounding this issue.  Thousands have worldwide, and it's quite amazing to be a part of a movement which is actually having impact on the ground in Congo.  No one single action was or is the solution, but together all of the actions that have been, and are being taken, by individual citizens, governments, industry, and public figures have and will affect change in Congo.  To be able to work in concert with those who live in Congo to Raise Our Voices is an honor.  

So, I encourage you to Raise Your Voice when you feel that passion well up inside of you.  Believe you me, I prefer a quiet existence, but sometimes you cannot keep quiet when your entire being propels you to Raise Your Voice to shine a light on a subject which deserves discussion, awareness and action.  Further, no action is too small.  There are countless ways to Raise Your Voice, and always hold on to the belief that no action is too small, or insignificant, because the truth is it's our collective Raised Voices which affect change in our world.