Mass display to raise genocide awareness
One Million Bones aims to raise awareness and donations for survivors of genocide. Organizers hope the symbolic mass grave they create will educate the public on modern genocide.
Samantha Foster
Spectrum Editor
At the beginning of June, the National Mall in Washington, D.C. will be covered in clay representations of human bones, symbolizing genocides in countries like Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia.
At the Visual Arts Center on Feb. 24, Richmond residents were invited to make their own bones out of clay for the project called One Million Bones. The bones can be made of wood, clay or plaster.
One Million Bones aims to raise awareness and donations for survivors of genocide. Organizers hope the symbolic mass grave they create will educate the public on modern genocide.
From June 8 through June 10, the bones, hoped to equal 1 million, will be laid on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. For each bone created, $1 up to $500,000 will be donated to CARE by the Bezos Family Foundation, which provides emergency relief and assistance to people in Somalia.
The One Million Bones project is a nationwide project, with each state having a designated location for the bones to be collected. The Visual Arts Center acts as the gathering location for Virginia, but has been laying the finished bones on the second floor of the Virginia Holocaust Museum as part of an exhibit on modern genocide.
Coordinator for the Virginia Holocaust Museum Tim Hensley was present at the bone-creating workshop last Sunday and believes that the project is important for raising awareness about genocide.
“I think it’s important because there are still instances of genocide taking place, even though people tend to think that the Holocaust was the last or is the one that they tend to know or recognize the most,” Hensley said. “Hopefully, this will draw awareness to things that are still going on today.”
The Virginia Holocaust Museum has about 900 bones finished in their goal of creating 2,500 bones, but this number does not include the bones made during the workshop on Sunday.
Those making bones out of clay are encouraged to sign their work, which Visual Arts Center instructor Susan Quinnild believes keeps people involved in the mission to raise awareness for modern genocide.
“These folks are putting their initials on the bones, to keep everyone invested in what’s going on,” Quinnild said. “It’s kind of cool that they are getting very involved. … (This is) helping people be able to do something (about genocide).”
