RBR community shows solidarity with Burma
Wearing red shirts a symbolic call for an end to killings
BY MELISSA KARSH Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff Clockwise from top: RBR student Meaghan Collins, 16, high-fives French teacher Jacey Greider as she celebrates the success of a schoolwide protest Oct. 5 of political events taking place in Burma. Greider and student Leighann Trodar, 15, were among those wearing red shirts as part of the U.S. Campaign for Burma. The red shirts worn by Alex Glassmacher, 17, and Brittney Cottrell, 16, show solidarity with Burma's Buddhist monks, who wear red robes.

LITTLE SILVER - Students and faculty at Red Bank Regional (RBR) High School were decked out in red shirts Oct. 5 to raise awareness about the massacres occurring in Burma.

As part of the U.S. Campaign for Burma, students and teachers around the country also observed a nationwide student awareness day by wearing red, the color of the robes worn by Burma's Buddhist monks.

The monks are leading antigovernment protests in Burma, which the military government ren amed Myanmar in 1989. According to the U.S. Campaign for Burma Web site, democratic outlets still refer to the Southeast Asia country as Burma in "a symbolic protest against the military regime.

"Our goal is to alert the community and our local officials that students care and want this to be an immediate priority for the international community," said RBR junior Meaghan Collins.

According to the U.S. Campaign for Burma Web site, "The Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003, which passed the U.S. Congress overwhelmingly, found that Burma's regime is using ethnic cleansing against Burma's ethnic peoples."

Collins who is the New Jersey state outreach coordinator for the high school division of STAND, a student anti-genocide coalition formerly known as Students Taking Action Now: Darfur, heard about the atrocities occurring in Burma and brought it to the attention of students and teachers.

"That's just really messed up what's going on over there," said RBR junior Sean Anderson. "I figured I'd give my support to those Buddhists."

Collins received help spreading the word about the day from French Club adviser Jacey Greider and creative writing teacher Gretna Wilkinson.

"My students were just completely shocked and surprised that peaceful demonstrators were being killed," said Greider. "And I think a lot of that touched them [students] because I had a lot of kids in my class wearing red." Collins said she heard a representative from the U.S. Campaign for Burma speak at STAND's national conference and wanted to bring awareness to RBR and to Little Silver.

The representative's speech struck a cord with Collins and when the representative called Burma a "Darfur in slow motion," she knew she had to take action.

"Wearing red signals that the entire community wants to reach out to our government before [genocide] occurs," said Collins.

"I think that because we have so much freedom as a people we have the freedom to help these people who can't help themselves," said RBR senior class president Nicole Tortoriello.

Tortoriello said she heard about the nationwide awareness day on Facebook, a networking Web site, and had planned to wear red on her own before posters and announcements had popped up at school.

Collins added that she plans to put up an informational poster to continue to spread awareness about what is occurring in Burma and not allow students or faculty a chance to forget about it.

"I feel like this is my time and our generation's time to put an end to it and tell our government that we want support in stopping atrocities like these," said Collins.

Next up for Collins is National Darfur Fast Day, which is organized through STAND, occurring Dec. 5. Collins said the point of the day is for students to give up one item of food that they would normally buy and instead put that money into a fund for Darfur, the Sudan, where genocide and rape have been widespread.

She added it only takes $3 a year to protect a woman in Darfur so she can move freely about the country with an escort and not risk molestation.