get people’s attention. We should all camp out in Herrick Chapel; the chapel as our strike headquarters will create a different tone.” Roberto and Johanna had sparked something in each of us. It wasn’t just outrage at the War but something new and deep. Exhilaration shone in our eyes; there was hope that a better world is still possible. We had a vision that we could help it arrive. We each committed to fast for at least one week. We’d drink juice but no solid foods or alcohol. During the week, we would attract a few others and together we’d figure out what to do. We passed out leaflets at cafeteria dinner lines asking anyone who cared about the terrorbombing to join us in Herrick Chapel. Then we
went back to our rooms to get sleeping bags. By the time I got to the chapel 900 students had joined us. We weren’t alone anymore. I walked to the chancel to join my new friends who stood staring at the crowd. The aisles were jammed and the balcony was overflowing. Towering stained glass windows, plush red carpet and hundreds of faces gave off a warm glow. Voices blended quietly into a low buzz that reverberated off the vaulted ceilings. “What do we do now?” I whispered to Johanna. She looked at me, eyes filled with light. “I don’t know but we just got a whole lot bigger!”
Babies U Sam Oeur
July – November 1975 The First Forced Labor Camp
BODHIBREUK WAS ONLY A HALF-HOUR WALK from where we had been staying. Comrade Meang, our “guide,” was the chieftain of the militia at East Bodhibreuk, located in the Doan Tei district of the Prey Veng Province in the Eastern Zone.
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April 2015
