Special Guest Blogger: Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi Posts on Darfur for Human Rights Day
Fifty eight years ago, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, announcing the basic rights and fundamental freedoms to which every citizen of the world is entitled, and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, declaring genocide a crime under international law which the civilized world must prevent. This weekend, we mark these anniversaries with heavy hearts, reminded that we are bound to aid those who have been deprived of these very rights and protections.In the preamble to the Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations and its members pledged to achieve "the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms." Despite this pledge, we have seen an atrocity unfold before our very eyes in Darfur, yet we have taken little action to protect these sacrosanct rights. The lack of international action has allowed the Sudanese government to continue with what USAID and the United Nations have called an "ethnic cleansing," as the nightmare continues for our brothers and sisters in Darfur.Although the Declaration promises "the right to life, liberty, and security of person," hundreds of thousands of civilians have been murdered and more than 2.5 million people have been displaced into unprotected camps throughout Sudan or sent to refugee camps in neighboring Chad. The Declaration states that "no one shall be subjected to torture, or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment," yet hundreds of women are raped or sexually assaulted every week, with no force to protect them. The African Union, the only peacekeeping force in Sudan, does not have the manpower or the mandate to prevent these heinous acts from occurring. It is obvious that the Sudanese government has no intention of stopping its indiscriminate massacre of Darfuris. If we do not act, the people of Darfur will continue to suffer, without hope or end in sight.As we commemorate the 58th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Genocide Convention we must remember that with the crisis in Darfur, now is no time to celebrate. It is time to champion the rights of the Declaration not by words, but through our actions. We cannot stand idly by as the Sudanese government continues its systematic destruction of the people of Darfur. We are compelled by the conscience of the world to put an end to this humanitarian disaster and restore dignity and hope to the Darfuri. If we do not, we betray our commitment as the protector of human rights, and risk compromising the very nature of our own conscience. I join with you on this Weekend of Prayer for Darfur, and pray that our efforts will bring more attention to the worsening crises.
--Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi
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Rocking the Hawkeye State: Des Moines for Darfur
Des Moines for Darfur is a humanitarian and human rights organization that was established to raise local awareness about the genocide in Darfur. We interviewed Des Moines for Darfur founder Katy Flynn about their activities in the politically crucial state of Iowa. While Katy is new to activism, she has managed to build up one of the strongest Communities United to Save Darfur chapters in the country.
SDC: How did Des Moines for Darfur get started and have you done anything like this in the past?I had just assumed there was already a group here in Des Moines. I was shocked when I found out that not only was there no group in Des Moines, but there were only a handful of groups in the entire Midwest. I had never participated in any kind of activist or humanitarian group before, let alone started one. But I felt so deeply impassioned about the crisis that I was determined to do something. And I just assumed that there had to be others in our community that felt the same way. Someone just had to take the initiative to get us organized. A priority for me was not only to educate but empower the community to help stop the genocide. I was sick and tired of feeling sad and sorry and helpless. I wanted to act.I created a simple flyer on Word and started hanging them up around the community. I e-mailed everyone I knew about the newly formed group, got the word out to newspapers, public radio, posted it on several websites and spoke about it to anyone that would listen. A local publication caught wind of the new group when I posted the meeting on their on-line community calendar, and they wrote an article. I received an overwhelming response from that article. Several people offered to create and host a website, while others offered up their talent or connections for any purpose we might have. Now I have over 150 people signed-up on the e-mail distribution list. There clearly was a need for the group, just as I'd thought. It was simply just a matter of putting together a very basic framework and doing a bit of P.R. SDC: You organized a rally Global Day for Darfur rally in Des Moines at the state capitol. What was that experience like?I had never been to a rally, let alone organized one, so I really learned a lot in a short time period. It was a bit stressful but incredibly rewarding. Fortunately, there were some members of the group that had connections in the community and experience in rally organizing, so they were a huge asset. We were the only rally/event in the Midwest, which was a major reason why I decided we needed to have one in the first place. The highlight of the rally was seeing about twenty Darfurian refugees arrive with their signs and pictures. For me, their presence was what the rally was all about.SDC: How have you been so successful in getting media coverage for your events and activities? Do you have recommendations for other activists looking to get media coverage?From what I have been told, the media is looking to cover Darfur but they need something to talk about specifically within their community.I guess I have been both persistent and blessed. I make sure the press is aware of what we're doing, no matter how large or small. There has to be a story, though. Often the story is simply the fact that there is a group of average citizens with no activist background whatsoever, rallying together for a humanitarian crisis thousands of miles away.It isn't easy, however, to get coverage. For example, I thought our rally was quite successful and news worthy. We had over 200 people attend on the State Capitol steps. We had a terrific, diverse group of speakers. We blasted out press releases far and wide. Yet the coverage left something to be desired. It can be really frustrating when we feel like there is a story worth telling and then the headlines are about the recent high school football game. I guess worthy news is very relative. SDC: Iowa is a politically crucial state with the presidential caucuses coming up and the recent election of two new members of Congress. What plans do you have to educate these new members and the presidential candidates about Darfur and the actions they can take to end the genocide?We will definitely plan to meet with the newly elected officials. Our organization is also part of a larger coalition, the Progressive Coalition of Central Iowa, which is like having a bunch of hands linked around you to support you. Their mission is to "facilitate networking, build mutual support, carry out and support educational activities, do advocacy, and serve as a catalyst in establishing two-way communication with elected officials, community leaders and candidates for public office." We have just joined this coalition and I'm sure they will be a great asset for us. I would recommend joining a group like this, if you already have or are thinking of starting an activist group for Darfur.
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Manhattan Graphic Designers Unite Their Profession with Their Passion for Darfur Activism
Manhattan-based graphic designers Daniel Young and Mirko Ilic were recently featured in Business Wire for their latest Darfur poster project. The poster, which features the word Darfur as an acronym for six Nazi concentration camps, was designed, produced, and funded entirely by Young and Ilic. Web addresses for six prominent Darfur advocacy organizations, including the Save Darfur Coalition, appear at the bottom of the poster.
Ilic mentioned a personal motivation for the poster’s creation stating that, “Coming from Bosnia—ex-Yugoslavia—I know what civil war can do to people.” The two have endeavored to increase public knowledge of the crisis in Darfur by placing 1,000 posters in strategic locations around Manhattan. Young said their goal is to, “make Americans aware that a horrible disaster is taking place in Darfur and encourage them to help.” While the posters will not be appearing in other cities, they are available to download. Both designers hope that through this mass distribution of the poster, “people in other locations will be inspired to carry the burden in their communities.”
This Darfur poster, along with many other grass-roots projects around the country, has offered yet another avenue for educating the public about the genocide that has been ravaging Darfur since 2003. Young and Ilic serve as an excellent example of how activists can use their unique skills to inspire and motivate the public to take action on behalf of Darfur.
For more information or posters, please contact Daniel Young at 212-697-1264 or danielyoung@megapathdsl.net.
Link to this post
Featured Local Group: Chicago Coalition to Save Darfur
The Chicago Coalition to Save Darfur currently has the most registered members of any of our groups and is growing each and every day. The organization was created to bring together the many different groups in the greater Chicago area working to end the genocide in Darfur. We interviewed Niki Antonakos and Susannah Cunningham about their previous efforts and the upcoming rally they are planning in Chicago this weekend.SDC: How did you get involved in Darfur activism?Susannah: I got involved while studying abroad in Egypt and stumbling upon a Sudanese Refugee center in Cairo near my university. Feeling completely ignorant I read up on Sudan, learning about the previous Southern conflict and the current one in Darfur. From their curiosity spiraled into anger over the audacious injustice of a modern genocide - surprising even myself. I got involved with student anti-genocide work in the fall of 2004 because I wanted to use my outrage productively and help in the only way that I could - by advocating professionally and making strategic noise. I founded a Darfur student group on Northwestern University's campus, joined STAND, and started working with SDC and Genocide Intervention Network from there. My involvement has snowballed since and sometimes I wondered how it even happened to this extent. And then I remember my conversations with my Sudanese friends in Cairo - how the conflicts we read about in the news have real effects on people's lives, homes, and families and I'm filled with the hope of peace for them and Darfurians that probably drove me to do all this. Niki: A colleague of mine in the Social Studies Department at my high school, Ken Kramer, came to school one day with green wristbands and asked us if we would like to join him in raising awareness of the ongoing genocide in Darfur. His action came from a question: how can I be teaching my students about the genocides of the 20th century and the role of bystanders in allowing them to happen, while I do the same while genocide is being perpetrated in Darfur? His question launched the department into a crusade to inform our community about the genocide. We held a day-long teach-in in May 2005, and the response from students and the community at large was a sense of urgency to do whatever possible to urge governments to take action to stop the genocide. With student leadership through our newly formed Amnesty International organization, we held a Run for Darfur, a film screening, letter/postcard writing campaigns, and a public rally with a mock refugee camp in our town’s center that we called CAMP Darfur. In the winter of 2006, one of those students and I began representing our school at the Chicago Coalition meetings.SDC: How have you recruited new members for the Save Darfur Chicago Coalition?By previous collaboration on events, word-of-mouth, targeted e-mails, introductions from friends and colleagues, etc. The various groups that make up the Coalition have worked hard within their communities. Most recently, just before the Global Day for Darfur on September 17, we realized the Save Darfur site could accommodate a group site for the Coalition. That site has allowed anyone in the Chicago area who is concerned with the genocide to join the group or simply to find ways of acting. SDC: What activities has your group undertaken?Numerous speaking events, city-wide conferences, cultural events. Among other events, our member organizations have hosted forums with local professors, Brian Steidle, and John Prendergast; they have rallied in support of State Senator Jacqueline Collins’s work on the Illinois divestment law; they have gathered at the Inner-city Muslim Action Network’s Community Café; university students sponsored a training session for high school aged activists with Mark Hanis; and most recently gathered at a Refugee Advocacy Forum and the opening of a National Geographic photo exhibit. Our largest event was the May 1st “Rally to Stop the Genocide in Darfur”, a sister event to the April 30 rallies. That day a few thousand people crowded Federal Plaza to hear speakers from human rights organizations, various faith groups, student organizations and local, state and national political figures.SDC: Please tell us about the event you are planning for Michigan Avenue on October 15th. How can Chicagoland area activists can get involved?The event is aimed at creating media around Chicago's thriving action on Darfur. Media has been our biggest challenge because we haven't focused on it and the May rally was unfortunately set on the same day as the mass immigration rallies in Chicago (which were organized after we received our permit). We're making a visual to create a platform for Chicago media to cover local Darfur action. And they seem pretty pumped to do so. Show up on Sunday at NU Law. Follow the signs and blue-shirted volunteers in front of the Law library. The visual involves citizens, dressed in UN-blue t-shirts, spanning the length of the Magnificent Mile (north Michigan Avenue), a dramatic eye-catching site meant to demonstrate wide-ranging popular support for the UN peacekeeping force that was authorized by the recent UN resolution. Following our demonstration, we will gather back at NU Law for a light dinner, breaking the fast in solidarity with the Darfuris, who are in the holy month of Ramadan.For more information, you can check our site.
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Communities United to Save Darfur: 200+ groups and growing!
Lindsey Petersen is the local organizing coordinator for the Save Darfur Coalition. Her job includes reaching out to our network of Communities United to Save Darfur groups that dot the United States (and increasingly the world). These 200+ local organizations are the backbone of our grassroots education and advocacy campaigns and have been at the vanguard of the movement to end the genocide in Darfur.
SDC: What sort of activities do Communities United to Save Darfur groups undertake in their local communities?
Communities United groups participate in a wide variety of activities, including holding meetings with their elected officials, collecting letters to go to the President, and holding an event to educate their community about Darfur. Groups have organized everything from a Yogathon for Darfur to hosting a forum where academics and refugees join together to discuss the ongoing genocide.
SDC: What advice do you offer group leaders who are trying to get a new group off the ground?
I think the key is just starting small by getting support from your family, friends, co-workers or fellow congregants at your house of worship and then spreading the word to your wider community. Holding a small event such as a dinner for Darfur, or showing our DVD to your social circle, is an easy way to get people interested in Darfur and raise awareness about the genocide. In my role at the coalition, I also help groups by connecting them with people who have successfully started groups in the past and who are happy to give advice on what they found worked best.
SDC: Can you share with us specific examples of remarkable achievements of local groups and their leaders over the past year?
Katy Flynn from Des Moines for Darfur started a group from scratch and within months had been on TV news, various radio stations, and has most recently held a successful Day for Darfur rally at the grounds of the state capitol in Iowa.
Beth Reilley of the Indiana Coalition to Save Darfur started out by collecting signatures for a petition at her local church and quickly was able to reach out to Methodist churches throughout Indiana. Beth's work on behalf of the people of Darfur has been so impressive that the CBS evening interviewed her for a piece on Darfur advocacy.
Another example is the Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur which successfully organized 12 busloads to our rally in NYC. This was a huge accomplishment that helped us to increase turnout for our historic rally.
It's truly amazing how much these groups are able to accomplish throughout the year. Many group leaders have no background in organizing or activism but they have been able to achieve amazing results.
SDC: If readers want to start their own local group, what should they do?
Anyone who wishes to start their own organization should register their group on the website and contact me with any initial questions or concerns. I would also encourage anyone with interest to sign up and be a part of our nationwide network of people working to end the genocide in Darfur.
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Prayers for Darfur
Due to the importance of the Global Day for Darfur and events across the country we decided to feature in our blog, prayers from religious communities around the world. These prayers were specially written for Darfur by Archbishop Desmond Tutu; the Archbishop of Canterbury; Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra, Chairman of the Interfaith Relations Committee of the Muslim Council of Britain; and the Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks of Great Britain. In their prayers, these leaders call upon people of faith to "pray for the people of Darfur who have been terrorized and forced from their homes – for those who have fled to refugee camps, and who still live in fear" and "for the children of Darfur, especially those who face a frightening world without one or both of their parents – may they be protected and comforted" (from Archbishop Tutu's prayer). They also "pray for those whose lives are lived on the margins of nations and who suffer from the wars that others fight around them…"for the warring factions, that they may see themselves under the gaze of God and under the gaze of those who suffer…for the work of peacekeepers, negotiators and the humanitarian organizations, that security may prevail" (from the Archbishop William's prayer). They ask God "to alleviate the oppression and end the atrocity and…that the killing stops, the bloodshed ends, that women and children are safe and healthy and happy…and "to give the people of Darfur back their homes, their families, their communities, their humanity, and their hope and dreams for the future" (from Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra's prayer). And finally they call upon God to "send peace to the people of Darfur…to hear the cry of the victims, the bereaved, the injured, and all those who live their days in fear…to rouse the hearts of the leaders of the world…and to put an end to the bloodshed, the violence, the rape, the starvation, and the terror, that has ravaged and endangered an entire population" (from Dr. Jonathan Sacks' prayer).
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George Clooney and Elie Wiesel Speak at the United Nations about the Worsening Situation in Darfur
Actor George Clooney and Nobel Peace Prize winner Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel appeared before the United Nations Security Council on Thursday to make an impassioned plea for immediate UN intervention in Sudan's Darfur region.This morning, Mr. Clooney and Mr. Wiesel appeared on The Today Show where they discussed the situation in Darfur and the “Save Darfur Now: Voices to Stop Genocide” rally in New York City this Sunday.
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Getting Arrested for Darfur
Posted on Wednesday, 09/13/06 - 11:06 am
I had never been arrested before. There are a few traffic tickets on my record, but nothing even close to an arrest. And so it was with some anxiety that I decided last Thursday to be arrested outside of the White House to protest the world’s collective failure to respond to the genocide in Darfur. It was the next step - something I was compelled to do by my frustration with the world’s inaction. Encouraged by my colleagues at the Save Darfur Coalition, and given tacit approval by my sympathetic parents, I joined 28 fellow Darfur activists and two co-workers on Saturday in an act of civil disobedience organized by Africa Action as part of the Ten Days of Action for Darfur.
The action itself was simple by design. We walked to the fence of the White House lawn and laid down on the sidewalk, while continuing to chant and hold signs with various pleas and statements: “Bush: Please Protect the People of Darfur” and “Send in the UN, Now.” After three warnings from the police, we were hand-cuffed one-by-one and led to a waiting police van for transport to the jail.
We were arrested to emphasize the urgency of the situation in Darfur: without the immediate intervention of the international community, Darfur may very well “collapse,” as UN humanitarian chief Jan Egeland warned on Tuesday. By getting arrested, we hoped to dramatize this urgency and spur the Bush administration to do everything possible to end the suffering.
Our mild inconvenience does not compare to the suffering of the people in Darfur. But until that suffering comes to an end, it is critical that people all over the world continue to demand that their leaders push for security and justice for the people of Darfur.
Fifty eight years ago, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, announcing the basic rights and fundamental freedoms to which every citizen of the world is entitled, and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, declaring genocide a crime under international law which the civilized world must prevent. This weekend, we mark these anniversaries with heavy hearts, reminded that we are bound to aid those who have been deprived of these very rights and protections.In the preamble to the Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations and its members pledged to achieve "the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms." Despite this pledge, we have seen an atrocity unfold before our very eyes in Darfur, yet we have taken little action to protect these sacrosanct rights. The lack of international action has allowed the Sudanese government to continue with what USAID and the United Nations have called an "ethnic cleansing," as the nightmare continues for our brothers and sisters in Darfur.Although the Declaration promises "the right to life, liberty, and security of person," hundreds of thousands of civilians have been murdered and more than 2.5 million people have been displaced into unprotected camps throughout Sudan or sent to refugee camps in neighboring Chad. The Declaration states that "no one shall be subjected to torture, or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment," yet hundreds of women are raped or sexually assaulted every week, with no force to protect them. The African Union, the only peacekeeping force in Sudan, does not have the manpower or the mandate to prevent these heinous acts from occurring. It is obvious that the Sudanese government has no intention of stopping its indiscriminate massacre of Darfuris. If we do not act, the people of Darfur will continue to suffer, without hope or end in sight.As we commemorate the 58th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Genocide Convention we must remember that with the crisis in Darfur, now is no time to celebrate. It is time to champion the rights of the Declaration not by words, but through our actions. We cannot stand idly by as the Sudanese government continues its systematic destruction of the people of Darfur. We are compelled by the conscience of the world to put an end to this humanitarian disaster and restore dignity and hope to the Darfuri. If we do not, we betray our commitment as the protector of human rights, and risk compromising the very nature of our own conscience. I join with you on this Weekend of Prayer for Darfur, and pray that our efforts will bring more attention to the worsening crises.
--Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi
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Rocking the Hawkeye State: Des Moines for Darfur
Des Moines for Darfur is a humanitarian and human rights organization that was established to raise local awareness about the genocide in Darfur. We interviewed Des Moines for Darfur founder Katy Flynn about their activities in the politically crucial state of Iowa. While Katy is new to activism, she has managed to build up one of the strongest Communities United to Save Darfur chapters in the country.
SDC: How did Des Moines for Darfur get started and have you done anything like this in the past?I had just assumed there was already a group here in Des Moines. I was shocked when I found out that not only was there no group in Des Moines, but there were only a handful of groups in the entire Midwest. I had never participated in any kind of activist or humanitarian group before, let alone started one. But I felt so deeply impassioned about the crisis that I was determined to do something. And I just assumed that there had to be others in our community that felt the same way. Someone just had to take the initiative to get us organized. A priority for me was not only to educate but empower the community to help stop the genocide. I was sick and tired of feeling sad and sorry and helpless. I wanted to act.I created a simple flyer on Word and started hanging them up around the community. I e-mailed everyone I knew about the newly formed group, got the word out to newspapers, public radio, posted it on several websites and spoke about it to anyone that would listen. A local publication caught wind of the new group when I posted the meeting on their on-line community calendar, and they wrote an article. I received an overwhelming response from that article. Several people offered to create and host a website, while others offered up their talent or connections for any purpose we might have. Now I have over 150 people signed-up on the e-mail distribution list. There clearly was a need for the group, just as I'd thought. It was simply just a matter of putting together a very basic framework and doing a bit of P.R. SDC: You organized a rally Global Day for Darfur rally in Des Moines at the state capitol. What was that experience like?I had never been to a rally, let alone organized one, so I really learned a lot in a short time period. It was a bit stressful but incredibly rewarding. Fortunately, there were some members of the group that had connections in the community and experience in rally organizing, so they were a huge asset. We were the only rally/event in the Midwest, which was a major reason why I decided we needed to have one in the first place. The highlight of the rally was seeing about twenty Darfurian refugees arrive with their signs and pictures. For me, their presence was what the rally was all about.SDC: How have you been so successful in getting media coverage for your events and activities? Do you have recommendations for other activists looking to get media coverage?From what I have been told, the media is looking to cover Darfur but they need something to talk about specifically within their community.I guess I have been both persistent and blessed. I make sure the press is aware of what we're doing, no matter how large or small. There has to be a story, though. Often the story is simply the fact that there is a group of average citizens with no activist background whatsoever, rallying together for a humanitarian crisis thousands of miles away.It isn't easy, however, to get coverage. For example, I thought our rally was quite successful and news worthy. We had over 200 people attend on the State Capitol steps. We had a terrific, diverse group of speakers. We blasted out press releases far and wide. Yet the coverage left something to be desired. It can be really frustrating when we feel like there is a story worth telling and then the headlines are about the recent high school football game. I guess worthy news is very relative. SDC: Iowa is a politically crucial state with the presidential caucuses coming up and the recent election of two new members of Congress. What plans do you have to educate these new members and the presidential candidates about Darfur and the actions they can take to end the genocide?We will definitely plan to meet with the newly elected officials. Our organization is also part of a larger coalition, the Progressive Coalition of Central Iowa, which is like having a bunch of hands linked around you to support you. Their mission is to "facilitate networking, build mutual support, carry out and support educational activities, do advocacy, and serve as a catalyst in establishing two-way communication with elected officials, community leaders and candidates for public office." We have just joined this coalition and I'm sure they will be a great asset for us. I would recommend joining a group like this, if you already have or are thinking of starting an activist group for Darfur.
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Manhattan Graphic Designers Unite Their Profession with Their Passion for Darfur Activism
Manhattan-based graphic designers Daniel Young and Mirko Ilic were recently featured in Business Wire for their latest Darfur poster project. The poster, which features the word Darfur as an acronym for six Nazi concentration camps, was designed, produced, and funded entirely by Young and Ilic. Web addresses for six prominent Darfur advocacy organizations, including the Save Darfur Coalition, appear at the bottom of the poster.
Ilic mentioned a personal motivation for the poster’s creation stating that, “Coming from Bosnia—ex-Yugoslavia—I know what civil war can do to people.” The two have endeavored to increase public knowledge of the crisis in Darfur by placing 1,000 posters in strategic locations around Manhattan. Young said their goal is to, “make Americans aware that a horrible disaster is taking place in Darfur and encourage them to help.” While the posters will not be appearing in other cities, they are available to download. Both designers hope that through this mass distribution of the poster, “people in other locations will be inspired to carry the burden in their communities.”
This Darfur poster, along with many other grass-roots projects around the country, has offered yet another avenue for educating the public about the genocide that has been ravaging Darfur since 2003. Young and Ilic serve as an excellent example of how activists can use their unique skills to inspire and motivate the public to take action on behalf of Darfur.
For more information or posters, please contact Daniel Young at 212-697-1264 or danielyoung@megapathdsl.net.
Link to this post
Featured Local Group: Chicago Coalition to Save Darfur
The Chicago Coalition to Save Darfur currently has the most registered members of any of our groups and is growing each and every day. The organization was created to bring together the many different groups in the greater Chicago area working to end the genocide in Darfur. We interviewed Niki Antonakos and Susannah Cunningham about their previous efforts and the upcoming rally they are planning in Chicago this weekend.SDC: How did you get involved in Darfur activism?Susannah: I got involved while studying abroad in Egypt and stumbling upon a Sudanese Refugee center in Cairo near my university. Feeling completely ignorant I read up on Sudan, learning about the previous Southern conflict and the current one in Darfur. From their curiosity spiraled into anger over the audacious injustice of a modern genocide - surprising even myself. I got involved with student anti-genocide work in the fall of 2004 because I wanted to use my outrage productively and help in the only way that I could - by advocating professionally and making strategic noise. I founded a Darfur student group on Northwestern University's campus, joined STAND, and started working with SDC and Genocide Intervention Network from there. My involvement has snowballed since and sometimes I wondered how it even happened to this extent. And then I remember my conversations with my Sudanese friends in Cairo - how the conflicts we read about in the news have real effects on people's lives, homes, and families and I'm filled with the hope of peace for them and Darfurians that probably drove me to do all this. Niki: A colleague of mine in the Social Studies Department at my high school, Ken Kramer, came to school one day with green wristbands and asked us if we would like to join him in raising awareness of the ongoing genocide in Darfur. His action came from a question: how can I be teaching my students about the genocides of the 20th century and the role of bystanders in allowing them to happen, while I do the same while genocide is being perpetrated in Darfur? His question launched the department into a crusade to inform our community about the genocide. We held a day-long teach-in in May 2005, and the response from students and the community at large was a sense of urgency to do whatever possible to urge governments to take action to stop the genocide. With student leadership through our newly formed Amnesty International organization, we held a Run for Darfur, a film screening, letter/postcard writing campaigns, and a public rally with a mock refugee camp in our town’s center that we called CAMP Darfur. In the winter of 2006, one of those students and I began representing our school at the Chicago Coalition meetings.SDC: How have you recruited new members for the Save Darfur Chicago Coalition?By previous collaboration on events, word-of-mouth, targeted e-mails, introductions from friends and colleagues, etc. The various groups that make up the Coalition have worked hard within their communities. Most recently, just before the Global Day for Darfur on September 17, we realized the Save Darfur site could accommodate a group site for the Coalition. That site has allowed anyone in the Chicago area who is concerned with the genocide to join the group or simply to find ways of acting. SDC: What activities has your group undertaken?Numerous speaking events, city-wide conferences, cultural events. Among other events, our member organizations have hosted forums with local professors, Brian Steidle, and John Prendergast; they have rallied in support of State Senator Jacqueline Collins’s work on the Illinois divestment law; they have gathered at the Inner-city Muslim Action Network’s Community Café; university students sponsored a training session for high school aged activists with Mark Hanis; and most recently gathered at a Refugee Advocacy Forum and the opening of a National Geographic photo exhibit. Our largest event was the May 1st “Rally to Stop the Genocide in Darfur”, a sister event to the April 30 rallies. That day a few thousand people crowded Federal Plaza to hear speakers from human rights organizations, various faith groups, student organizations and local, state and national political figures.SDC: Please tell us about the event you are planning for Michigan Avenue on October 15th. How can Chicagoland area activists can get involved?The event is aimed at creating media around Chicago's thriving action on Darfur. Media has been our biggest challenge because we haven't focused on it and the May rally was unfortunately set on the same day as the mass immigration rallies in Chicago (which were organized after we received our permit). We're making a visual to create a platform for Chicago media to cover local Darfur action. And they seem pretty pumped to do so. Show up on Sunday at NU Law. Follow the signs and blue-shirted volunteers in front of the Law library. The visual involves citizens, dressed in UN-blue t-shirts, spanning the length of the Magnificent Mile (north Michigan Avenue), a dramatic eye-catching site meant to demonstrate wide-ranging popular support for the UN peacekeeping force that was authorized by the recent UN resolution. Following our demonstration, we will gather back at NU Law for a light dinner, breaking the fast in solidarity with the Darfuris, who are in the holy month of Ramadan.For more information, you can check our site.
Link to this post
Communities United to Save Darfur: 200+ groups and growing!
Lindsey Petersen is the local organizing coordinator for the Save Darfur Coalition. Her job includes reaching out to our network of Communities United to Save Darfur groups that dot the United States (and increasingly the world). These 200+ local organizations are the backbone of our grassroots education and advocacy campaigns and have been at the vanguard of the movement to end the genocide in Darfur.
SDC: What sort of activities do Communities United to Save Darfur groups undertake in their local communities?
Communities United groups participate in a wide variety of activities, including holding meetings with their elected officials, collecting letters to go to the President, and holding an event to educate their community about Darfur. Groups have organized everything from a Yogathon for Darfur to hosting a forum where academics and refugees join together to discuss the ongoing genocide.
SDC: What advice do you offer group leaders who are trying to get a new group off the ground?
I think the key is just starting small by getting support from your family, friends, co-workers or fellow congregants at your house of worship and then spreading the word to your wider community. Holding a small event such as a dinner for Darfur, or showing our DVD to your social circle, is an easy way to get people interested in Darfur and raise awareness about the genocide. In my role at the coalition, I also help groups by connecting them with people who have successfully started groups in the past and who are happy to give advice on what they found worked best.
SDC: Can you share with us specific examples of remarkable achievements of local groups and their leaders over the past year?
Katy Flynn from Des Moines for Darfur started a group from scratch and within months had been on TV news, various radio stations, and has most recently held a successful Day for Darfur rally at the grounds of the state capitol in Iowa.
Beth Reilley of the Indiana Coalition to Save Darfur started out by collecting signatures for a petition at her local church and quickly was able to reach out to Methodist churches throughout Indiana. Beth's work on behalf of the people of Darfur has been so impressive that the CBS evening interviewed her for a piece on Darfur advocacy.
Another example is the Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur which successfully organized 12 busloads to our rally in NYC. This was a huge accomplishment that helped us to increase turnout for our historic rally.
It's truly amazing how much these groups are able to accomplish throughout the year. Many group leaders have no background in organizing or activism but they have been able to achieve amazing results.
SDC: If readers want to start their own local group, what should they do?
Anyone who wishes to start their own organization should register their group on the website and contact me with any initial questions or concerns. I would also encourage anyone with interest to sign up and be a part of our nationwide network of people working to end the genocide in Darfur.
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Prayers for Darfur
Due to the importance of the Global Day for Darfur and events across the country we decided to feature in our blog, prayers from religious communities around the world. These prayers were specially written for Darfur by Archbishop Desmond Tutu; the Archbishop of Canterbury; Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra, Chairman of the Interfaith Relations Committee of the Muslim Council of Britain; and the Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks of Great Britain. In their prayers, these leaders call upon people of faith to "pray for the people of Darfur who have been terrorized and forced from their homes – for those who have fled to refugee camps, and who still live in fear" and "for the children of Darfur, especially those who face a frightening world without one or both of their parents – may they be protected and comforted" (from Archbishop Tutu's prayer). They also "pray for those whose lives are lived on the margins of nations and who suffer from the wars that others fight around them…"for the warring factions, that they may see themselves under the gaze of God and under the gaze of those who suffer…for the work of peacekeepers, negotiators and the humanitarian organizations, that security may prevail" (from the Archbishop William's prayer). They ask God "to alleviate the oppression and end the atrocity and…that the killing stops, the bloodshed ends, that women and children are safe and healthy and happy…and "to give the people of Darfur back their homes, their families, their communities, their humanity, and their hope and dreams for the future" (from Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra's prayer). And finally they call upon God to "send peace to the people of Darfur…to hear the cry of the victims, the bereaved, the injured, and all those who live their days in fear…to rouse the hearts of the leaders of the world…and to put an end to the bloodshed, the violence, the rape, the starvation, and the terror, that has ravaged and endangered an entire population" (from Dr. Jonathan Sacks' prayer).
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George Clooney and Elie Wiesel Speak at the United Nations about the Worsening Situation in Darfur
Actor George Clooney and Nobel Peace Prize winner Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel appeared before the United Nations Security Council on Thursday to make an impassioned plea for immediate UN intervention in Sudan's Darfur region.This morning, Mr. Clooney and Mr. Wiesel appeared on The Today Show where they discussed the situation in Darfur and the “Save Darfur Now: Voices to Stop Genocide” rally in New York City this Sunday.
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Getting Arrested for Darfur
Posted on Wednesday, 09/13/06 - 11:06 am
I had never been arrested before. There are a few traffic tickets on my record, but nothing even close to an arrest. And so it was with some anxiety that I decided last Thursday to be arrested outside of the White House to protest the world’s collective failure to respond to the genocide in Darfur. It was the next step - something I was compelled to do by my frustration with the world’s inaction. Encouraged by my colleagues at the Save Darfur Coalition, and given tacit approval by my sympathetic parents, I joined 28 fellow Darfur activists and two co-workers on Saturday in an act of civil disobedience organized by Africa Action as part of the Ten Days of Action for Darfur.
The action itself was simple by design. We walked to the fence of the White House lawn and laid down on the sidewalk, while continuing to chant and hold signs with various pleas and statements: “Bush: Please Protect the People of Darfur” and “Send in the UN, Now.” After three warnings from the police, we were hand-cuffed one-by-one and led to a waiting police van for transport to the jail.
We were arrested to emphasize the urgency of the situation in Darfur: without the immediate intervention of the international community, Darfur may very well “collapse,” as UN humanitarian chief Jan Egeland warned on Tuesday. By getting arrested, we hoped to dramatize this urgency and spur the Bush administration to do everything possible to end the suffering.
Our mild inconvenience does not compare to the suffering of the people in Darfur. But until that suffering comes to an end, it is critical that people all over the world continue to demand that their leaders push for security and justice for the people of Darfur.
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