A New York-based humanitarian partnership entrusted Lenoir County students with achieving a final goal to raise genocide awareness across the country.
Students at Contentnea-Savannah K-8 School and Kinston High School created hand-made bones Thursday for social arts practice One Million Bones, which is designed to spread knowledge about ongoing genocides around the world. Students, activists and artists have created 950,000 bones according to the last count, with a million-bone goal by June 8.
The bones will be stretched across the National Mall in Washington, D.C., over three days, and Kinston was the last collection site before OMB representatives return to the nation’s capital for a final count.
“The idea is to raise awareness and to just make people pay attention,” said Stephanie Roberts, an on-tour program fellow. “Human rights is my passion. I am a very firm and strong believer that the whole core of human rights is education.”
This year, youth were included in the project through collaborative initiative Students Rebuild. OMB fellows have travelled to a wide variety of schools since September — from the most expensive private schools to the poorest public ones.
“We’ve visited thousands of students by now,” said fellow Eric Hall. “I think people have learned a lot here in the U.S. I think the programs that they’re supporting in both countries have been proven to be effective over the years.”
Hall and Roberts said they are focusing on Somali and the Congolese region, sharing a video presentation with students before instructing them on bone building.
“It was fun (and) a great experience,” said Kinston High junior Taishu McLawhorn. “It was interesting to learn. It creates awareness and it lets more people know about what’s happening and what they can do to help.”
The 1 million bones collected from more than 20 countries — but primarily the United States — will be installed at the National Mall from June 8-10 as a “visual petition to remember victims and survivors, to bring awareness to the issue and to call upon our government to take much needed and long overdue action,” according to a Bones fact sheet.
The project has two points: the symbolic event on the Mall, which will feature workshopsand speakers; and a fundraiser. For each bone, the Bezos Family Foundation, the project’s funder, will donate a dollar towards one school in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia.
“If you’re Congolese, if you’re Somali, education is going to be the key to bringing change to your own life and to your community,” said Roberts, who’s travelled the country for the cause since September. “(For) us here in the U.S., education is key to understanding how we impact the rest of the world.”
Ruth Anderson, Kinston High’s Cyber Campus facilitator and host of the Bones fellows, said even she learned from the presentation Thursday morning in the school’s cafeteria.
“I loved it, (and) I thought it was great,” she said. “The whole thing about the refugee camp … to me the horror of it is just mind boggling, and it’s going on every day.”
She said she was pleased with how attentive the high school students were, as several found enjoyment in the event.
Nearly 80 students made more than 200 various bones out of donated newspaper and masking tape.
“I got a chance to be creative for a cause,” said Kinston High senior Kendetta Dawson. “I learned that many people across the country aren’t as fortunate as I am. It was nice to be able to do an activity to help them out.”
The 18-year-old added, “I’m able to help other people out just by doing the small things.”
Jessika Morgan can be reached at 252-559-1078 or at jessika.morgan@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessikaMorgan.
Want To Know More?
For more information on One Million Bones, visitonemillionbones.org or studentsrebuild.org