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Teaching the Holocaust and other Genocides

Darfur

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Activity Overview
After reading the narrative about the genocide in Darfur (beginning in 2003), students will complete a series of activities, including the examination of primary source documents, maps of the country, photographs and videos, and how the “genocide” matches the 10 stages of genocide, academic tool and a policy model which was created by Gregory Stanton.
Grade Level
9-12
ELA Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies:
RH1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the time and place of publication, origin, authorship, etc.
RH2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop within a text.
RH3: Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text; determine whether earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them.
RH4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, economic, or geographic aspects of history/social studies.
RH5: Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally, visually, and graphically).
RH6: Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respective accounts.
RH7: Integrate and evaluate visual and technical information (e.g., in research data, charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
RH8: Analyze the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.
RH9: Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.
WHST5: Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question by the end of grade 8), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
WHST6: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source by applying discipline-specific criteria used in the social sciences or sciences; and quote or paraphrase the data/accounts and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
WHST7: Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. 
Social Studies Framework 
10.5 UNRESOLVED GLOBAL CONFLICT (1914–1945): World War I and World War II led to geopolitical changes, human and environmental devastation, and attempts to bring stability and peace.
10.5e Human atrocities and mass murders occurred in this time period.
10.10 HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS: Since the Holocaust, human rights violations have generated worldwide attention and concern. The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights has provided a set of principles to guide efforts to protect threatened groups and has served as a lens through which historical occurrences of oppression can be evaluated.
10.10b Governments, groups, and individuals have responded in various ways to the human atrocities committed in the 20th and 21st centuries.
10.10c Historical and contemporary violations of human rights can be evaluated, using the principles and articles established within the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
SEL Benchmarks
2A. Recognize and build empathy for the feelings and perspectives of others.
2B. Recognize and affirm individual identities as well as individual and group similarities and differences, including those rooted in culture, ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, ability, etc.
3A: Consider individual and collective social, emotional, and physical safety and well-being, as well as social context in making decisions.
Objectives
Students will summarize the key events, principal actors, and chronological arc of the Darfur Genocide (beginning in 2003) in a concise paragraph or visual organizer, demonstrating accurate use of period‑appropriate historical vocabulary.
Using a curated set of documents, photographs, survivor testimonies, UN reports, and maps, students will identify at least three pieces of evidence that illuminate the experiences of non‑Arab Darfuri victims, Janjaweed and Sudanese‑government perpetrators, and international bystanders, and explain how each source deepens our understanding of the genocide.
Students will align specific policies, actions, and rhetoric from the Darfur conflict to each of Gregory Stanton’s ten stages of genocide, citing factual examples for every stage with a minimum accuracy of 80 %.
After completing the learning activities, students will craft a brief position statement (written, video, or presentation) proposing one contemporary policy or action to help prevent future genocides, explicitly linking their recommendation to lessons learned from the Darfur Genocide and Stanton’s framework.

Essential Question

What tools can be used to stop and prevent genocide?  

Activity

  1. Introduce students to the issues surrounding the Darfur genocide by reading the background essay.

  1. Give students the reading “From Us to Them” and provide background on The Ten Stages of Genocide. After students read the article, have them conduct a think-pair-share where they consider some of the following questions, based on work by Facing History and Ourselves: 

What could be done to stop an ongoing genocide? What tools could be employed to “end the suffering?” What else could be done? 

Raphael Lemkin said, "If women, children, and old people were to be murdered one hundred miles from here, wouldn't you run to help? Then why do you stop this decision of your heart when the distance is three thousand miles instead of one hundred miles?" Who is responsible for preventing genocide? When we know genocide is occurring, does the location make a difference? 

Military action was not used to stop genocide during the Holocaust, the Rwandan genocide, or the genocide in Darfur. NATO troops were used to stop the violence in Bosnia.  Do you think nations that have signed the Genocide Convention should use any means necessary, including military force, to stop genocide? Why or why not? 

  1. Have students revisit the actions suggested in the article “From Us to Them.” Have students research the current situation in Darfur. Choose one of the suggested activities or another action suggested by the students to shift the “tensions of “us” and “them” to a more harmonious “we.””

Primary Sources for Analysis

Mariam Ibrahim Ausher
Second Decision on the Prosecution's Application for a Warrant of Arrest
Burning of Um Ziefa
Burning of a Village in Darfur
Burned Remains of Labado​​​​​​​

Children's Artwork

“Defending a Village in Darfur” by Zakaria Abbas Idriss​​​​​​​
“Nowhere to Hide” by Iman Abdalkhalek Isaac​​​​​​​
“Shooting Elderly Women in Darfur” by Hillal Altoum Idriss​​​​​​​

Historical Background

Since the Holocaust, the international community has taken significant steps to prevent genocide and address mass atrocities. These efforts include the establishment of legal frameworks, international courts, and principles aimed at protecting vulnerable populations. Here are key developments: 

1. The Genocide Convention (1948) 

The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (commonly referred to as the Genocide Convention) on December 9, 1948 to take effect in 1951. It was the first international treaty to explicitly define genocide and obligate states to prevent and punish it. Key elements include: 

  • Definition of Genocide: Acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. 
  • Legal Obligations: States must prevent genocide within their borders and prosecute perpetrators in domestic or international courts. 
  • Universal Jurisdiction: Genocide is recognized as a crime under international law, prosecutable regardless of where it occurs. 

2. The International Criminal Court (ICC) 

Established by the Rome Statute in 1998, the ICC began functioning in 2002 as a permanent court to prosecute individuals for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression. Key aspects of the ICC include: 

  • Jurisdiction: The ICC can prosecute individuals for genocide when states are unwilling or unable to do so themselves. 
  • Prominent Cases: The ICC has issued indictments for individuals accused of genocide, including Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for atrocities in Darfur. 
  • Deterrence: By holding individuals accountable, the ICC aims to deter future genocidal acts. 

3. Responsibility to Protect (R2P) 

Adopted at the 2005 UN World Summit, the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) is a global political commitment to prevent mass atrocities, including genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity. R2P rests on three pillars: 

  • Pillar 1: States have a responsibility to protect their populations from genocide and other mass atrocities. 
  • Pillar 2: The international community should assist states in fulfilling this responsibility. 
  • Pillar 3: If a state fails to protect its population, the international community has a responsibility to intervene through diplomatic, humanitarian, and, in extreme cases, military means. 

Other Efforts 

  • Ad Hoc Tribunals: The United Nations established the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to prosecute crimes related to the Rwandan Genocide and the Balkan conflicts, respectively. 
  • Preventive Diplomacy and Early Warning Systems: The UN and regional organizations have implemented early warning systems to detect signs of potential genocides and respond proactively. 
  • Education and Advocacy: Efforts by NGOs, scholars, and international bodies aim to raise awareness about genocide and promote a culture of prevention. 

These measures demonstrate a growing international consensus on the need to address and prevent genocide, though challenges in enforcement and political will remain significant obstacles. 

Poetry Analysis Activity
“Boy in the Sand”

I saw a boy make his final stand today,
Face buried in a sea of sand, body prone, bent, broken
like the waves.
His chest was not moving,
His heart did not beat, everything around him was
Suspended in the varied turmoil of land and water;
push and pull – as if each were trying to reclaim him.

It’s like that sometimes
when I see the corpse of a stranger That kind of
death,
from the outside of someone else’s final breath…
it makes the air stop,
the ocean turns more slowly,
the earth a cradle
a cemetery
a monument
a stone
like a dead boy resting in the sand.

 -Emithal Mahmoud, 2018

Source
“Boy in the Sand by Emi Mahmoud.”  YOUTUBE, uploaded by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. 1 September 2016. https://youtu.be/QMjIUneTF6M?si=D-mRbk_bI25-pmDo
Audio: Ms. Mahmoud reading “Boy in the Sand”

About the Poet 
Emithal Mahmoud is a celebrated Sudanese spoken word artist originating from the war-town region of Darfur. Her poetry captures the horrors of genocide and its lasting effects on survivors. Ms. Mahmoud uses her poetry and voice to capture the complex web of emotions surrounding her experiences and the diaspora her family experiences when they emigrate to the United States to escape the dangerous terror of their home in Darfur.

Discussion Questions

1. Who do you think the "boy in the sand" represents? Is he a specific person, or could he be symbolic of something larger?

2. What does the phrase “final stand” suggest about the boy’s circumstances?

3. How does the imagery of land and water create a sense of conflict in the poem?

4. What emotions does the poem evoke in you? How does it achieve this effect?

5. In what ways does the poem comment on human suffering, loss, or the fragility of life?

6. What allusions does the poet make to the genocide in Darfur?