On June 8, one million handmade human bones, created by students, artists, and activists will be laid on the National Mall as a symbolic mass grave and visible petition for bold action towards an end to genocide and mass atrocities. The installation will cover the area between 3rd and 7th streets and remain on the Mall through Monday June 10.
Actress Robin Wright and former Congressman Tom Perriello, along with anti-genocide and religious leaders, will speak at the keynote event at 4:00 pm EDT on Saturday, June 8, at the event stage near 4th Street on the National Mall. Anti-genocide leaders John Prendergast and Carl Wilkins, along with Holocaust survivor Eva Kor, will speak at a candlelight vigil honoring victims of genocide and mass atrocities on Sunday evening at 7:30 pm EDT. Bones will be laid on the Mall by 4,000 volunteers beginning at 10:00 AM on Saturday, June 8th; the process will conclude around 2:00 pm.
The project, One Million Bones, led by artist Naomi Natale, mobilized artists from around the world and students at over 2,000 schools to create bones out of clay, plaster, paper, and other materials; over 250,000 people in all 50 states and the District of Colombia as well as over 30 countries have participated. In participating schools, One Million Bones provides an opportunity for students to begin to grapple with genocide and mass atrocities and to channel paralyzing feelings of despair into action and hope. Photos and video of several 50,000 Bones installations and more information can be found at onemillionbones.org. Video of Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA-2) making a clay bone can be viewed here.
One Million Bones uses art to help build the movement of people who believe it is our human duty to stop genocide and mass atrocities. “The symbol of the bone on the National Mall, America’s most public protest space, attests to the gravity of these conflicts and serves as a powerful reminder of our common humanity and that we do, in fact, belong to each other,” said Natale.
“In my work, I uncovered bones in mass graves to show the responsibility of leaders; I did it in Argentina and at the International Criminal Court,” said Luis Moreno Ocampo, former Prosecutor at the ICC. “It’s crucially important, but it’s not enough. Bringing One Million Bones to the National Mall shows that the idea of international justice was born from normal people and includes people from all over the world.”
The Bezos Family Foundation matched each bone created by students with a $1 donation to the work of CARE in Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, up to $500,000, through its Students Rebuild partnership. “For the first time, a memorial honoring victims and survivors of conflict will cover our Nation’s Capital as a symbol of awareness and hopefully, healing,” said Jackie Bezos, president of the Bezos Family Foundation. “The collaboration between One Million Bones and Students Rebuild inspired young people to connect, learn and take collective action on critical global issues. This partnership gave thousands of youth worldwide a tangible way to take a stand with their peers.”
WHAT: One Million Bones installation on the National Mall, a symbolic mass grave and visible petition for bold action towards an end to genocide and mass atrocities
WHEN: June 8-10, 2013. Keynote event: June 8, 4:00 PM EDT. Candlelight vigil: June 9, 7:30 PM EDT.
WHERE: The National Mall, between 3rd and 7th streets, Washington, DC. Main stage at 4th Street.
SPEAKERS INCLUDE: Actress Robin Wright; John Prendergast, anti-genocide activist leader; Carl Wilkens, the only American to remain in Rwanda during the genocide; Eva Kor, Holocaust survivor and subject of the film Forgiving Dr. Mengele, and humanitarian activists and experts in the mass atrocities in Sudan and Congo including John Dau, Mukesh Kapila, and Neema Namadamu.
Video of the 50,000 bone preview installation in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
