MCC News
“Hotel Rwanda” Hero to Speak at MCC (02/21/2019)
Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Project will host Paul Rusesabagina (pictured right) on March 6In 1994, Paul Rusesabagina used his charm and sales skills to save more than 1,200 lives during the Rwandan genocide. Under his leadership, the Hotel des Mille Collines became the only public place where people were safe. Rusesabagina’s story has been told in the film “Hotel Rwanda” and his autobiography “An Ordinary Man.” An estimated 800,000 Rwandans were killed during the genocide that lasted 100 days.
In commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, Rusesabagina will serve as the keynote speaker of the 12th annual Voices of Vigilance program organized by student leaders of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Project (HGHRP) at Monroe Community College. Rusesabagina will present “A Lesson Yet to be Learned,” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, in MCC’s theatre, located in the Robin and Tim Wentworth Arts Building on the Brighton Campus, 1000 East Henrietta Road. Parking will be available in Lot F. Tickets are required ($5 with MCC ID; $10 general public) and are available at www.monroecctickets.com and at the door.
Established in 1991, the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Project is MCC’s unique organization for telling the stories of the Holocaust and other genocides while transforming individuals to become advocates for human rights. Since its inception, the HGHRP has impacted more than 10,000 students and community members through educational, commemorative and advocacy programs.
About Paul Rusesabagina
In 1994, Paul Rusesabagina was a young hotel manager running one of the most important properties in Kigali: the Hotel des Mille Collines. On April 6, 1994, a plane carrying the president of Rwanda and the president of Burundi was shot down and both men were killed. This sparked the violence that grew into the Rwandan genocide during which more than 800,000 Tutsis and Hutus were killed.
After the plane was shot down, Rusesabagina’s family was taken at gunpoint. He used his charm and sales skills to save his family and the neighbors who traveled with him. He traded money for lives and food for favors. Eventually 1,268 people found shelter at the Hotel des Mille Collines, considered the only safe haven in a sea of genocidal slaughter. No one under Rusesabagina’s shelter was harmed or killed. Soldiers threatened him, slaughters happened outside the gates, but the people at the hotel were safe.
Following the release of “Hotel Rwanda” in 2004 and “An Ordinary Man” in 2006, Rusesabagina received many awards and honors, including the Immortal Chaplains Prize for Humanity, the National Civil Rights Museum Freedom Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Rescuer of Humanity Award and The Tom Lantos Human Rights Prize.
Rusesabagina established the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation to provide a voice to victims of genocide and support peace efforts in Rwanda and throughout the world. What started as a personal mission to teach the lessons of Rwanda has become an international movement to fight genocide. By working directly with young people in educational settings, Rusesabagina and his team are educating a new generation of anti-genocide activists on how they can make an impact in preventing violence across the globe.
Media Contact:
Rosanna Yule
Government and Community Relations
585-292-3024
ryule@monroecc.edu