For almost three decades, Joseph Kony has abducted children, forcing them to become sex slaves and soldiers. He is the man behind the Lord’s Resistance Army, a Ugandan combatant warfare group.
Invisible Children is anorganization comprised of activists fighting for equal rights across the globe. Their mission is to make Kony infamous.
A warrant from the International Criminal Court released on Oct. 13, 2005 called for the arrest of the five senior leaders of the LRA. Yet, Kony is still on the loose.
Many students feel the movement against Kony is especiallyimportant.
“The campaign against Kony matters to me because I like helping kids in need,” said senior Tin Vo. “I think Kony is a messed up individual and should be stopped at all costs, no matter what country he is in.”
On March 5, the organization released a video directed and narrated by co-founder Jason Russell that has gained almost 84,000,000 views.
“I saw the video on YouTube and it inspired me,” said sophomore Sanjeev Gupta. “I didn’t know about Kony before the video, it’s amazing how quickly it spread.”
“I was really surprised because I couldn’t believe that was happening,” said freshman America Cuchillas. “I couldn’t believe that the government didn’t want to help. It’s kind of sad because it’s little kids who are innocent and going through a lot. I think he should be stopped.”
Despite the popularity of the video’s message, the validity of the organization’s intentions are questioned by some. The leadership class would like to make a difference, but has not quite found a way to do so.
“The whole class is divided,” said leadership student senior Chris Sheppard. “Some people think it’s a scam, others don’t. Personally, I want to do it.”
Others are confused as to why Kony is receiving so much attention.
“I won’t be participating because I think the whole stop Kony campaign is bull honky,” said senior Nicky Osbon. “Everything that the campaign is against happened years ago. Why bring attention to it now? Why are they focusing on one guy when there are multiple people committing these crimes?”
“It’s sad to hear that everything is happening, but I think they should focus on Africa as a whole,” said senior Mohamed Abdelhalim. “It’s not fair to all the others that are going through this and not getting any help.”
Other students plan to participate in events such as Cover the Night.
At sundown on April 20, teams throughout the world will gather for Cover the Night. The objective is to cover as much surface area of the globe as possible with stickers and posters advertising Kony. The idea is to make his face notorious in order to expose his crimes.
“I heard about Kony a few years before the video and I was excited to see that word got out about it,” said sophomore Josh Forrest. “I’m definitely planning on doing it and maybe my brother can too, but probably not because he has prom.”
Even though this occasion is scheduled the same day as prom, some students would still like to participate.
“Although prom is just a day in a lifetime, I always have next year,” said junior Adrianna Taweel. “I feel like stopping Kony and saving lives is more important than a high school dance. Cover the Night helps me to feel a part of a greater cause, and that’s better than what prom could ever do.”
