By ANDREW ROITSTEIN

Juilliard has added a new group to its roster of student organizations: Amnesty Juilliard. Inspired by human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, Amnesty Juilliard's main objectives are to examine, raise awareness of, and take action in support of human rights. Amnesty International's philosophy is modeled after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the U.N. Assembly in 1948. Amnesty International has more than 1.8 million members worldwide, with a large concentration of college and high-school groups. Their main tactic is writing letters in support of a specific human rights cause, whether it is an issue concerning a specific region, topic, or individual. In New York State, Amnesty International is represented on most college and university campuses, and Amnesty Juilliard has been initiated to increase involvement and awareness of these issues on our own campus.

Three events were organized by the group during the fall semester. The first, on November 10, was a cross petition protesting violence against women in Guatemala and Chihuahua, Mexico. At a table set up in the Juilliard lobby, students could peruse newspaper articles and other information about the recent deaths of thousands of women in Guatemala and Mexico, and their governments' extreme inadequacy in holding the perpetrators accountable. In honor of Day of the Dead, celebrated throughout Latin America, we constructed 200 crosses out of popsicle sticks—painted pink for Mexico and white for Guatemala—on which students signed and wrote messages like "No Violence Against Women." This petition was part of activity on an international scale, and our effort contributed to thousands of popsicle-stick crosses that were delivered to the Guatemalan and Mexican Embassies.

If we only sit and watch or ignore injustice, nothing will be done.

On December 1, composer Behzad Ranjbaran, Amnesty Juilliard's faculty advisor and a native of Iran, discussed his homeland and its relevance in the Middle East in a lecture titled "Iran: Current Events and Human Rights." He addressed the history of the Persian Empire, the split between Shiite and Sunni Muslims, the C.I.A.'s 1953 ousting of the democratically elected Iranian prime minister in favor of an autocratic shah (who maintained the privatization of the country's oil reserves), and the U.S.'s funding of Afghanistan's religious extremists during the Cold War. These topics led to his assessment of today's Middle Eastern conflict and the dichotomy of an oppressive religious extremist government and a secular opposition who is silenced by the absence of freedom of expression.

Dr. Ranjbaran's talk educated and motivated students to participate in the following week's Human Rights Fair, held on Human Rights Day, observed by the international community on December 10 to commemorate the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Like the cross petition, our fair was held in conjunction with hundreds of similar write-a-thon events organized by other schools and organizations, aiming to educate people and amass letters in an effort to amend specific human rights issues. Amnesty Juilliard decided to focus on four different issues or regions of the world.

To address the first issue, we wrote letters to the Iranian Embassy and government to end the practice of capital punishment by stoning (committing adultery is an offense that has warranted this sentence). We also protested the imprisonment of author and filmmaker Arzhang Davoodi, arrested solely for his involvement in a documentary that criticized the Iranian government.

Our next topic was the genocide in Darfur. We wrote letters to U.S. officials to increase their support and funding for the African Union peacekeepers and encourage more U.N. involvement. Fourth-year dancer Emily Proctor researched Darfur in depth, and directed students to a Web site (darfurscores.org) that awards letter grades from A+ through F to U.S. officials, rating their effectiveness concerning the genocide. From this resource, we decided which officials needed to be reminded that this crisis was important to us as American citizens.

The third topic we addressed was women's rights, discussing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and its International Treaty for the Rights of Women. This is a document that 182 countries have ratified, although the United States Senate has yet to approve it.

Our fourth topic was the current war on terror, the October 2006 U.S. Military Commissions Act, and the U.S. government's practice of "extraordinary renditions," sending detainees to countries whose prisons are known for their use of torture. While the international situation is complex, Amnesty Juilliard shares the popular belief that the United States must still uphold a positive example of human rights and refrain from using torture.

By the end of our Human Rights Fair, we had 210 prewritten and personal letters, as well as 300 signatures on different petitions to send to various governments.

While we sat at tables during our various letter-writing events, we were occasionally approached by people who questioned the effectiveness of our tactics. They asked, "With governments that are so hopelessly corrupt, what will writing them do?" Fourth-year violist Esme Allen-Creighton explains that "there is inestimable value in simply stepping outside yourself, thinking of the difference between our lot and that of others, not being defeatist or negative, and trying to help. I think it is important for people suffering in the world to know that, in other countries, people care. It sends a message of hope." A concentration of attention toward a specific human-rights issue lets governments know that people are concerned—and in many instances, this effort can put enough pressure on leaders to change policy, release a prisoner of conscience, and encourage change in the future. If we only sit and watch or ignore injustice, nothing will be done.

My participation in Amnesty Juilliard has been a valuable part of my education. Every time a violation of human rights is discussed, a Pandora's box of information is opened. For example, we cannot assess the arrest of Iranian filmmaker Arzhang Davoodi without taking into account his nation's history, culture, and politics. After researching this country, our group drew comparisons between Iran and other regions, such as Guatemala; both countries have undergone governmental overthrows by the C.I.A. The subject of human rights is endless, but each issue we tackle enables us to be more conscientious and active citizens. Every member of Amnesty Juilliard benefits from each other's experiences, opinions, and passions. For the spring semester, we plan to continue regular letter-writing get-togethers, organize an awareness concert, and host a former prisoner of conscience. All students and faculty are welcome to partake in our future endeavors!

Andrew Roitstein is a master's student in double bass.