Tom Andrews
I’m honored by the opportunity to lead the Save Darfur Coalition at this crucial moment. I’m humbled by the astounding record of advocacy and activism the Save Darfur Coalition can proudly claim thanks to supporters like you. This is much more than a job to me – it’s a mission to help those affected by violence to recover their lives, to stop violent attacks happening today, and to prevent future genocides and mass atrocities once and for all.
It’s no small thing, so let’s get to work.
Over the next two weeks I will travel to South Sudan to meet with faith leaders, student activists and people displaced by the recent violence in Darfur, Abyei and South Kordofan. I will hear first-hand accounts from people whose voices are often ignored. I’ll ask on-the-ground witnesses about how the United States and the international community can promote lasting peace in Sudan and prevent these mass atrocities from ever happening again.
I’ll also be there for the historic moment when South Sudan becomes the world’s newest nation, and I’ll be blogging and tweeting about some of the most memorable and important moments of my trip.
As a long-time human rights activist, there is a lesson I’ve learned and will always carry with me. It is simply this: we must do more BEFORE millions of lives are lost. We can not wait until the rest of the world decides to pay attention.
That’s why my trip includes visits to both Kenya and Rwanda, where I’ll be speaking with people who were affected by the Rwandan genocide and by Kenya’s 2008 post-election violence – two crises with two very different responses from the international community.
I am truly looking forward to working with each and every one of you in the coming months and years. We are over a million strong – and together have the power to end genocide in our lifetimes.
I’m leaving for Sudan, Kenya and Rwanda this afternoon, but before I go I wanted to take a moment to say thank you.
Even though we’re just getting to know each other, I want to thank you because your actions and your generosity on behalf of a people in desperate need of our attention and our help, is truly an inspiration. So thank you for being a part of this incredible movement.
I hope you’ll check in over the next couple weeks to see how my trip is progressing. Remember, you can follow me on twitter and bookmark our blog to read about some of the highlights of my trip.
In peace.
The opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Save Darfur Coalition.
Tags: blog, July Trip, President, South Sudan, Sudan, Tom Andrews, Twitter
