D.C. Steps Up For Darfur
Written by DCist contributor Phil Long.
While our attention remains focused on the damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast, many organizations in the District and around the country have worked tirelessly to bring attention to the plight of the Darfur region of the Sudan, whose residents have been subjected to coordinated attacks by marauding gangs sponsored, some say, by the Sudanese government. These series of attacks -- which have razed entire villages and provoked massive waves of displacement -- have been termed genocide by some, ethnic cleansing by others. Definitions notwithstanding, the crisis in Darfur has tested the international community's resolve to prevent the type of death and destruction that so shocked the world's conscience in 1994 with the Rwandan Genocide.
The D.C. community hosts a number of groups seeking to halt and reverse the inhumanity still unfolding in Darfur. Galvanized by their shared outrage against the wanton slaughtering and pillaging of villagers, a coalition of groups promoting human rights have banded together recently in an interfaith effort to raise awareness and offer direct support to the imperiled people of Darfur. The result: "DC (heart) Darfur." The campaign seeks to emphasize the fact that a refugee in Darfur or neighboring Chad could attain a daily food ration for 18 cents, highlighting the benefit of both small and large donations becomes apparent. The campaign started on August 29 and continues through October 13th.
To encourage dialogue and promote DC (Heart) Darfur, the American Jewish Committee sponsored a panel discussion entitled "Taking Action in Darfur: A Capital Alert" on August 29. Paul Rusesabagina -- the man immortalized for his heroic efforts to save over a thousand Rwandans from slaughter in the film "Hotel Rwanda" -- highlighted the panel that also included Charles Snyder, Senior Representative on the Sudan for the U.S. Department of State, and Brian Steidle, a former marine and eyewitness to the tragedy in Darfur. The panelists unanimously agreed that proactive engagement by more people outside the government and military is crucial for curbing the slaughter.
A number of other D.C.-area groups have already heeded the panel’s call to action. A motivated group of students at Georgetown University formed STAND (Students Taking Action Now: Darfur) in September 2004. A year later, STAND has expanded to include a national network of over 200 colleges and high schools united in raising awareness and exerting tangible change. The organization's work was recently recognized by mtvU and the Reebok Human Rights Foundation, who gave $40,000 for education programs for the more than two million Darfurian refugees. The D.C. artistic community’s equally vigorous response is best evidenced by The Fatales, who played an April concert in Brooklyn with all proceeds going to benefit Darfur. Other D.C.-area groups working to ensure a return to peace in the Sudan include the Salam Sudan Foundation and the Save Darfur Coalition.
Those in the D.C. area looking to promote peace in Darfur should attend “A Day For Darfur” on September 8, 2005. On the eve of the Bush Administration’s public declaration of "genocide" in Darfur last year, actor/activist Danny Glover, members of Congress, and other prominent activists and religious leaders will speak between noon and 1:00 pm in Lafayette Park in front of the White House. Arrive early to hear music by local bands. The program concludes at 1:00 pm with a coordinated calling campaign pressuring President Bush to take immediate steps to stop the genocide.
Please leave comments mentioning any other groups in the D.C. area that have taken the initiative to combat injustice in the Sudan.