Syracuse University alumnus Terrance Smith will spend the next nine months traveling around the country to spread awareness about genocide in a creative way.

The project, One Million Bones, is an initiative that raises awareness about humanitarian crises in Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo by encouraging people of all ages and nationalities to create handmade bones, according to its website.

The bones will be put on display at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on June 8, 2013, according to its website.

For every bone donated to the One Million Bones initiative, the Bezos Family Foundation will donate $1 to CARE, a leading humanitarian organization that assists countries affected by genocides, Smith said.

Smith, a program fellow for Students Rebuild, which is a nonprofit supporting the project, said he thinks the symbolism of the bones is effective in uniting people taking on this challenge.

“Bones symbolize our common humanity,” he said.

Members of STAND: A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition, have found ways to contribute to the campaign.

Emily Ballard, a member of STAND and a sophomore policy studies major, said the group will make bones at its weekly meetings for the next month.

“I think this program is great because so many other awareness programs are not tangible,” Ballard said. “But this is something that you can actually do, see and use to measure results.”

Universities like SU are playing a large role in making bones, said One Million Bones national liaison Kathleen McEuen.

“College students are responding very deeply to this project,” she said. “They want to take action and often extend the project into communities.”

Some colleges, such as Columbia College Chicago, have even designed classes around the One Million Bones initiative, McEuen said.

Activist Naomi Natale launched One Million Bones in March 2010 in New Mexico, where its headquarters are currently located.

Since it began, One Million Bones has inspired participation from 500 schools across the nation, Natale said. She also said it has given the anti-genocide movement valuable press through events such as a day of mini bone displays in state capitals last April.

“I’m interested in the intersection of art and activism,” Natale said. “Especially how we can use art as a tool to bring issues that may seem far away from us closer to home.”

Smith, the SU alumnus, reached out to the Community Folk Art Center to help with creating the bones for the One Million Bones initiative.

Helina Kebede, a marketing specialist for the Community Folk Art Center, said the project is a good fit for the center because the Syracuse community has a large population of people from the Congo and other areas in Africa that were directly affected by genocide.

The Community Folk Art Center holds workshops open to individuals and groups of all ages interested in making bones from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays through Fridays, Kebede said. People can also make appointments to come in anytime during the center’s normal business hours.

The workshop usually lasts about an hour and is the same for both individuals and groups, Kebede said. It begins with a short video and oral presentation about the humanitarian crisis and then participants are shown how to make the bones.

The bones are usually made out of donated newspaper, masking tape and plaster gauze, she said.

The workshops began Oct. 17, when the center announced its challenge for the Syracuse community to create at least 1,000 bones in 30 days, she said.

If the Syracuse community reaches this goal, Kebede said, Students Rebuild will pay the airfare for a Community Folk Art Center representative to participate in the laying of the handmade bones.

“So far it has been going well,” Kebede said of the center’s challenge. “We’ve been seeing more large groups make appointments to come in and create bones.”

Published on October 31, 2012 at 12:23 am

Contact Shannon: smhazlit@syr.edu