The Pittsburgh Darfur activist community led by David Rosenberg gathered on the steps of city hall to again call for peace in Sudan and hold accountable perpetuators of injustice. City, county, state, and national leaders came with open arms to receive the over 15,000 postcard petitions signed by local concerned citizens pulled from a variety of places including schools, churches, synagogues, and coalition partners.
Political leaders conveyed their shared sentiments about the ongoing crisis in Darfur and Southern Sudan. City Councilman William Peduto announced the City of Pittsburgh’s proclamation honoring the newly resettled Darfuris and “encouraged President Barack Obama to use his influence and that of the United States as head of the UN Security Council to work to finally achieve a solution to the problems of both Darfur and south Sudan.”
More importantly taking the stage were Darfuri refugees from across the nation. In solidarity, Southern Sudanese joined Darfuris in their call for an end to the crisis and issued a joint statement asking world leaders to hold Bashir and the NCP accountable, which have inflicted countless acts of unspeakable horror against their friends and families.
Due to the Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition’s advocacy efforts local leaders decried the ongoing atrocities and added their voices to the coalition’s call to action for world leaders convening for the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh next week.
Today was a celebration of something not cited in fact sheets or published in research reports. Today was a community being just that – a community; the only commonality shared today was a unanimous call for peace. The movement found new allies in the city of Pittsburgh with the engagement of new activists pulled from the Pittsburgh government, the faith community, and local students just finding their own voices in change.
by Natasha Ghent-Rodriguez and Will Fischer
The opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Save Darfur Coalition.
Tags: action, Darfur, Events, G20, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, rally, South Sudan, Sudan
