accomplice
a person who joins with another in carrying out some plan
Because if we forget, we are guilty, we are
accomplices.
endure
undergo or be subjected to
And that is why I swore never to be silent whenever wherever human beings
endure suffering and humiliation.
neutrality
nonparticipation in a dispute or war
Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.
torment
intense feelings of suffering; acute mental or physical pain
Silence encourages the tormentor, never the
tormented.
interfere
get involved, so as to alter or hinder an action
Sometimes we must
interfere.
irrelevant
having no bearing on or connection with the subject at issue
When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become
irrelevant.
persecute
cause to suffer
Wherever men and women are
persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must--at that moment--become the center of the universe.
violate
act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises
Human rights are being
violated on every continent.
plight
a situation from which extrication is difficult
How can one not be sensitive to their
plight?
integrity
moral soundness
One person--a Raoul Wallenberg, an Albert Schweitzer, Martin Luther King, Jr.--one person of
integrity, can make a difference, a difference of life and death.
anguish
extreme distress of body or mind
As long as one child is hungry, our life will be filled with
anguish and shame.
stifle
smother or suppress
What all these victims need above all is to know that they are not alone; that we are not forgetting them, that when their voices are
stifled we shall lend them ours, that while their freedom depends on ours, the quality of our freedom depends on theirs.
emerge
come out of
It is in his name that I speak to you and that I express to you my deepest gratitude as one who has
emerged from the Kingdom of Night.
betray
deliver to an enemy by treachery
We know that every moment is a moment of grace, every hour an offering; not to share them would mean to
betray them.
desperately
with great urgency
Our lives no longer belong to us alone; they belong to all those who need us
desperately.