For Mark Hackett, the course of his life swiftly changed upon receiving an email about the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. The overwhelming violence, destruction, and suffering inspired Mark to get involved and help. Mark soon abandoned his pursuit of a culinary degree and changed his major to International Studies in Conflict Resolution.
Mark began spending lots of time trying to get churches, schools, and the community involved in helping people in Darfur, and one thing became quite clear: “If anything was going to make a change, it would have to start with people talking about it, a lot of people talking about it.” To address the problem, Mark founded Operation Broken Silence, an organization that raises funds for aid organizations on the ground in areas at risk for genocide. They also focus on advocacy, raising awareness, and promoting petition signing campaigns.
Their latest project focuses on gathering signatures for a petition that demands Congressional leadership on implementing the findings of the Genocide Prevention Task Force.
Mark and his organization plan to build on their success for the future: “With growing support, we have been breaking the silence while simultaneously bringing churches, students, and other individuals into the efforts of preventing and ending genocide. We are essentially becoming a gateway for people, organizations, and churches to talk to one another and get involved.”
For more information visit www.operationbrokensilence.org.
