I’ve seen the reports on television about the crisis in Darfur but had not really devoted the attention to it that it deserves. There is so much going on in the world today, especially right here in the United States, that sometimes I am in such pain from just thinking about the masses of people that need help in the world.

Our own devastation of recent hurricanes that are still not resolved and may not be resolved any time soon, cost of living making poor people poorer and middle-class people poor. Soldiers dying everyday in Iraq for oil that we can’t pay for here in the United States, it is indeed a frantic situation.

Double standards for Haitian immigrants, disparate drug conviction policies, HIV/AIDS in the Black community, real estate developers continuing to destroy the land, corrupt politicians, an inadequate educational system and apathetic citizens. How can I care about one more thing? Especially about people so many miles away from the United States?

How could I not care about these people? There but for the grace of God go I. As bad as things are, we can still help here and abroad. So we must. Too many people have been killed, tortured, raped and otherwise abused for us to ignore this. The terror is till happening today.

Go to http://www.savedarfur.org/ for more information. Send an electronic postcard to President Bush to stop the violence in Darfur. I apologize for the long blog, I tried to keep it brief but this is too sensitive for me. Thanks for allowing me to vent. Go to the links and spread the word about this situation. Off my soapbox, for now… Thanks.

© 2006 VANESSA BYERS, Vanessa: Unplugged

Labels: Africa, AIDS, Black Culture, Black History, Commentary, Crime, Deaths, Ethnicity, News, Politics