My Experience as a “Student Upstander” at the Lemkin Summit to End Genocide and Mass Atrocities 2018

By Ricardo Pierre '18

With Honor Society high schoolers from Asbury Park, NJ

Genocide is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as, the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation. The neologism was first coined by Raphael Lemkin, a lawyer of Polish and Jewish decent. Lemkin devised genocide from genos a Greek word for tribe or race and -cide a Latin word that means killing.

On Saturday, February 10 through Monday, February 12, 2018, I attended the Lemkin Summit to End Genocide and Mass Atrocities, a conference named in Raphael Lemkin’s honor. The conference took place at American University and featured a panel of experts who spoke on topics ranging from tools the U.S. government can use to prevent and respond to genocide and mass atrocities, to financial tools to counter the nexus of conflict and corruption, and the current dynamics in various conflicts areas. The Lemkin Summit allowed me the opportunity to venture into a topic about which I was previously not privy.

While at the conference, a Congolese woman named Neema Namadamu spoke about how the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo have experienced the phenomenon of the resource curse known as the paradox of plenty. The paradox of plenty refers to resource-rich countries that fail to reap the full benefits of their natural resource wealth. Countries that have an abundance of natural resources tend to engage in conflict at a higher rate and are largely authoritarianist nations. Issues like this and many more where discussed at the conference. I also heard chilling stories from citizens of Darfur, Sudan recalling the sounds of gunshots as they were falling asleep and when they would rise in morning, stories that were all too familiar to citizens of fellow conflict nations.

With Enough Project founder, John Prendergast

During my time at the conference, I also had a one-on-one conversation with John Prendergast, the founder of the Enough Project, which is an initiative to end genocide and crimes against humanity. The Enough Project was the program that provided me the opportunity to attend the Summit as a Student Upstander. John told me about the indefinable horrors he’s seen with his own eyes and relayed to me the massive role the United States can play in helping countries like Congo.

My final day in Washington, D.C. was spent lobbying to Senators and Congressmen from my home state of New Jersey. As a group leader, I was accompanied by a group of Honor Society high schoolers from Asbury Park, NJ, and we worked to get cosponsors on two policies. The U.S. is regarded as the most influential nation in the world. By taking a tougher stance against countries that engage in mass atrocities, America can help put an end to corruption and human rights violations. My weekend at the Lemkin Summit gave me an immense knowledge on the past and continuing political climate that African nations are in and I look forward to engaging in philanthropic efforts in the future.

My group at NJ Representative Chris Smith's Office in Washington, D.C.

"Breakfast Buddies" Mentoring Program Encourages Academic Excellence and Good Citizenship for Fifth Grade Boys

By Tom Steele, Director of Academic Initiatives for Athletics

Ferrum College students (back row, left to right) Justyn Forbes, Lawrence Baranski, and Ricardo Pierre, are "Breakfast Buddies" for this group of fifth grade boys at Lee M. Waid Elementary School.

It’s Thursday morning, 7:00 AM. Most Ferrum College students are just stirring or still asleep. However, members of Ferrum’s Brother4Brother mentoring program are on their way to Lee M. Waid Elementary School in Rocky Mount to be “Breakfast Buddies” with a group of 5th grade boys.

Now in its third year, the Breakfast Buddies program is designed to provide a positive, male role model for the fifth graders and encourage them to excel in academics and as school citizens. “The Breakfast Buddies program has been an integral component in developing social skills for our fifth grade students,” said Sheree Thomas, the school counselor at Lee M. Waid who hosts Breakfast Buddies. “The positive interaction brought to the table by Ferrum's highly motivated and well-mannered men of standards leaves a positive impression on our youth,” continued Thomas.

During each Breakfast Buddies program, the College students share breakfast with the fifth graders, talk about the topics of the day, and spend positive time together. Sometimes, the Brother4Brother mentors help the young men who get into trouble at school get back on track. According to Ferrum senior Ricardo Pierre, the outreach is important because, “I am able to offer them a judgement-free ear and share with the guys things I wish I knew at their age.”

Breakfast Buddies is focused on men learning to share with each other and holding each other accountable. “Breakfast Buddies is a great chance to uplift young men and to be someone they can talk to,” said junior Lawrence Baranski.

In addition, encouragement is always a focus at the breakfast meetings. Junior Justyn Forbes said, “I think that it is good to give these kids some encouragement from college students to do well in school.”

As a bonus, some of the fifth graders in the Breakfast Buddies program are now serving as mentors for kindergarteners at Lee M. Waid. This is a point of pride for Baranski. “We are showing them that even they can become a mentor to younger men,” he said.

Not self, but others. This is the Ferrum College way.