Therefore, the Sudan365 group has declared September 19^th to be a Global Day for Sudan.  Activists around the world will hold a series of activities including joint letters, coordinated lobbying, and public events targeting each CPA Guarantor in its own country on the 19^th.

In the United States, the following events will take place.  Hosting an event of your own?  Let us know.
Los Angeles, CA — Global Day of Action for Sudan & launch of MY HOME exhibit

• Location: Eco-LogicalART Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
• Time: 11:00 am to 8:30 pm

New York City — Protest at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza & Stand Up Against Poverty event

Protest at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza

• Location: Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, E 47^th St & 1^st Avenue
• Time: 2 – 3 pm

Stand Up Against Poverty (http://www.standupnyc.org/)

• Location: Josie Robertson Plaza (Lincoln Center) – at Broadway & Columbus, between W. 65 & W. 66 Streets
• Time: Noon – 4 pm.  Sudan focus at 3:30 pm.

Washington, DC — Vigil at Sudanese Embassy

• Location: 2210 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
• Time: 1:30 – 2:30 pm

The Enough Project has launched an exciting campaign aimed directly at these moments.

Picture posted on Amazon.com

The campaign is being launched in conjunction with a new book released by Don Cheadle and John Prendergast, entitled The Enough Moment. The stories of activists, both famous and obscure, are found inside. But while the pages of a book are limited, the stories of activists are endless.  Through video, picture, or text submission the Enough Project has asked for “Enough Moments” from any and every activist, to be compiled in an interactive wall.

In the blink of an eye, things can change forever. When individuals across this country and across the world blinked, they saw the suffering people of Sudan and other parts of Africa, homeless, diseased, attacked, alone. These individuals decided to change, dedicating their time to advocating for peace and justice in a continent often forgotten. These special moments, these unique blinks are being recorded by the Enough Project. Participate in this special campaign, share your own “Enough Moment”, and find inspiration from others who, like you, are dedicated to Sudan, to Congo, to human rights.

REFUGEE CAMPus 2010

What: Educational / engagement event with student activists and faculty from Queens College sleep in make shift tents to generate consciousness and peaceful action with refugees throughout the globe

When: August 30, 2010 – Sept 3, 2010

Where: Queen College (65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing, NY 11367)

The supplies being used during the week will be purchased from a group that supports girls’ education in India, so we will be helping in that regard, as well. Educational and open-mic events, freestyle Peace Jam, calling campaigns, letter campaigns, artistic expression events, and more will mark our REFUGEE CAMPus as an effective advocacy, awareness-raising, and empowering event.

REFUGEE CAMPus is going NATIONAL; Don’t Attend Queens College! Send a message our way and we can help you set up REFUGEE CAMPus at YOUR school!

For a schedule of events, email standqc13@gmail.com or visit http://www.standnow.org/event/refugee-campus-0

Click to printout or share flier



Photo by STAND at Queens College

The Darfur Heroes honors individuals and groups who have done inspiring and important work in an effort to end the violence in Sudan. This August, Save Darfur Coalition is proud to honor Jenn Polish and the STAND Chapter at Queens College. Ms. Polish and the Queens College STAND group have engaged activists, the U.S and the International community to focus on the ongoing lack of security for Darfuris and the escalation of violence in all of Sudan. Here are some of Jenn’s thoughts on STAND at Queens College service towards the people of Sudan.

Students in the chapter of STAND at Queens College have various reasons for being involved in the anti-genocide movement: we have all had unique moments of clarity in which we decided to devote many of our lives to the cause. The vision that connects us, however, is unified and strong: a vision of a World without genocide, a common life of humanity that supersedes everything.

Every year, we host a week-long event called REFUGEE CAMPus, during which we sleep out on our campus quad and spend five days and four nights educating and empowering students and community members to take action on issues such as the genocide in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and our own refugee problems here in the US. This year, we are excited to host REFUGEE CAMPus between August 30th and September 3rd, our first full week of school. Any and all are welcome.

This past week, we also hosted a die-in and vigil at Union Square. It was very moving to see students from Queens College outnumbered by other members of our community that we have formed connections with: a mark of effective activism is how well we connect with and empower others to bring the movement beyond ourselves. The most inspiring thing about this event, however, was the fact that it was coordinated nationally in 12 other locations across the country: STANDers rose up for Sudan on 36-hour notice, and we did it with the support of our local Sudanese partners. Ahmat Nour, president of the Darfur People’s Association of New York, attended our vigil, even though it meant he would be home late for iftar (breaking fast for Ramadan). His presence gave our group so much awe and hope.

I can only speak for myself, but I think it’s safe to say that the rest of the chapter feels this way, too: it is a privilege to be able to STAND for Peace and against genocide whenever, wherever, and however we can.

Jenn Polish is a STAND student at Queens College in Flushing, New York.

STAND, the student-led division of the Genocide Intervention Network, envisions a world in which the international community protects civilians from genocidal violence. At its core, our mission is to empower individuals and communities with the tools to prevent and stop genocide.

The president faces a critical decision on how to move forward on Sudan–including one that may result in a severe shift in approach in U.S. policy nearly 100 days before the referendum vote that could divide Africa’s largest country.

Additionally, a letter signed by 68 organizations is being sent to the president on the same topic. Both the ads and the letter advocate for a balanced Sudan policy that includes both incentives and pressures.

You can join the call for a robust, balanced Sudan policy by taking action today.

Please spread the word:

Tweet This:

Tell @BarackObama to make the right choice for #SudanNow. http://tinyurl.com/2a3wh6w @WhiteHouse

Share on Facebook:

Visit the White House Facebook Page and post: “Mr. President, please make the right decision on Sudan. Act on Sudan Now. www.SudanActionNow.com” or a message of your own.

And, take a moment to watch the new video from Stop Genocide Now.

Photo by Michael Graham

Cross posted on Preventing Genocide blog

Today, August 19, marks World Humanitarian Day, a time to honor those who have worked in dedicated live-saving service for displaced people and refugees around the globe. Often the first responders in crises, humanitarian aid workers not only deliver supplies and provide critical medical treatment, but they also become eyewitnesses to history.

In 1993, Eric Dachy, one such aid worker, joined a United Nations peacekeeping convey on its way into Srebrenica, a town under siege by Bosnian Serb forces that would eventually suffer genocide.

“We arrived in the night,” Dr. Dachy said, “in the snow, in Srebrenica, a completely dark place. There was no power at all. And then we saw in the light of the vehicles we were in, we saw thousands, maybe more, thousands of people completely silent watching us as ghosts… And obviously they were already, I don’t know, shocked by what was their future.”

Aid workers increasingly face threats to their own lives. The UN reports that 30 humanitarians were killed on the job in 1999. In 2009, fatalities for humanitarian workers increased to 102.

World Humanitarian Day is also an opportunity to reaffirm international commitment to protecting vulnerable populations, as well as the humanitarian workers, themselves. In Sudan, it is a message that carries particular urgency now, as the government in Khartoum threatens to expel a number of international aid workers from Darfur, and humanitarians struggle to gain access to Kalma displaced persons camp in South Darfur.

Learn more about World Humanitarian Day and the special meaning of its date, August 19.

Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action

The Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action is taking matters into its own hands. This organization is on a mission to “challenge our society to end complacency towards and raise awareness of genocides past and present and take action to stop genocides present and future”.  To accomplish this goal the CCGAA has launched a vigorous new campaign, Ride Against Genocide. Activists, Sudanese refugees, press, a filmmaker, and even Olympic torchbearer Essie Garrett will travel in a van, displaying an exhibit on genocide around Colorado. The trip will cover over 1500 miles in just four days. Information regarding genocide, how individuals can take action, and other pieces of literature will be distributed at each stop the van makes. Media attention will be attracted and public knowledge will be expanded.

Activism will reach new heights from August 30th to September 2 in the Centennial State as the CCGAA’s new trip brings education and awareness.  The Ride Against Genocide will bring many face to face with some of the harshest realities of the world we live in, but more importantly it will also inform individuals how to get involved and make the phrase “Never Again” a reality. The road trip is not just a, “Ride Against Genocide” but a ride towards genocide prevention as well.  A whole state is about to rally around the flag of justice, slowly unfurling as the wheels of a van spin towards peace.

For further information regarding the Ride Against Genocide and to track its tour, please visit CCGAA’s blog.

Prendergast in Darfur

John Prendergast, Co-Founder of the Enough Project, made the list of nominees for GQ magazine’s “Better Men Better World Search.” If he receives the highest number of votes online, Enough will receive funding from Movado to continue its work to end genocide and crimes against humanity.

Prendergast has tackled human rights issues throughout Africa in his advocacy work and has dedicated much time and energy to the crisis in Sudan. A dynamic activist, he takes advantage of many channels to advocate for the Sudanese people. Prendergast co-founded the Darfur Dream Team Sister Schools Program, an initiative aimed at funding schools in refugee camps. He has produced several documentaries and has contributed to several news programs covering human rights crises in Africa.

Prendergast also co-founded Not On Our Watch, an organization devoted to ending mass atrocities worldwide, and co-authored a book of the same name with Don Cheadle. He frequently takes his message to the press. The New York Times recently published a piece he co-wrote with Dave Eggers entitled, “In Sudan, War is Around the Corner.” Emphasizing the need for the international community to focus on Sudan’s upcoming referendum on the South’s independence, Prendergast and Eggers assert,

“This is President Obama’s Rwanda moment, and it is unfolding now, in slow motion. It is not too late to prevent the coming war in Sudan, and protect the peace we helped build five short years ago.”

Read the Enough Project’s case for why Prendergast deserves to win the “Better Men Better World  Search.”

Vote for John Prendergast in GQ’s “Better Men Better World Search.”

Private reports indicate that President Obama and his senior advisors are expected to meet this week regarding the future of the U.S. Sudan policy. The situation in Sudan is urgent. President Obama and his administration should act now to provide the leadership necessary to prevent a return to war – a war that could be the deadliest the world will face on his watch.

Please take one or more of these actions:

By Facebook – Let’s flood the White House Page! Post on the White House Facebook page:

Mr. President: Millions of lives – and your legacy – are on the line. Your personal leadership is needed now to prevent a return to war in Sudan. With less than six months until a referendum could split Africa’s largest country in two, and with the security situation in the country deteriorating, your administration must respond with a policy that is coherent, strategic, and unified. With the lives of millions potentially hanging in the balance, now is the time for your personal leadership on this issue.

By Twitter – Tweet one or both of these messages:

Pls RT. In #Sudan millions of lives and your legacy are at stake, @BarackObama. Lead the push for peace in Sudan now. @presssec

Pls RT: @BarackObama’s legacy is on the line. Will the president personally work to ensure peace & justice in #Sudan now? @presssec

Background:

It is vital that the Obama administration recognize the danger of continuing to muddle along in Sudan. With less than six months to the referendum, the administration has yet to respond with a policy that is coherent, strategic, and unified. The clock is ticking for the people of Sudan—and if the (likely) split of Africa’s largest state in two is handled poorly, it will adversely effect regional security in the whole of East Africa, as well as U.S. interests for years to come. It will also come with a terrible human cost.

While the United States has dithered, Sudan’s President Bashir has not been content to simply hide out and continue to hold his own people hostage. Rather, he has upped the ante—by pushing Darfur increasingly close to the brink, by conducting an election that violated international standards, by cracking down on human rights and the media, by embarking on a series of high profile visits abroad, and by continuing to flout the will of the international community and that of the people of Sudan.

The time for outsourcing policymaking and the articulation of the U.S. policy to low level staff and special advisors has passed. The situation in Sudan demands urgent high-level attention and leadership. And President Obama will ultimately be held accountable for whether he provided that leadership—or not.

More Opportunities for Action:

By Twitter – Tweet this message:
Pls RT. @statedept, the time for outsourcing #SUDAN policy has passed. Sudan requires Sec. Clinton’s urgent attention & leadership. @pjcrowley

By Facebook – Post on the State Department’s Facebook page:

Secretary Clinton: Millions of lives – and your legacy – are on the line. Your personal leadership is needed now to prevent a return to war in Sudan. With less than six months until a referendum could split Africa’s largest country in two, and with the security situation in the country deteriorating, your administration must respond with a policy that is coherent, strategic, and unified. With the lives of millions potentially hanging in the balance, now is the time for your personal leadership on this issue.

Update: You can watch today’s panel about the Movement to end Genocide on USTREAM from 4:30 to 5:45 PM (PT).

The Save Darfur Coalition, Enough Project and Genocide Intervention Network are hosting a panel discussion at this year’s Netroots Nation conference in Las Vegas. The session, Zero to Sixty: The Rapid Evolution of the Movement to End Genocide, will take an in-depth look at how a small student-led movement grew into a worldwide coalition of hundreds of organizations and millions of individuals.

The panel discussion will be moderated by GI-Net’s Janessa Goldbeck and feature Martha Bixby (Save Darfur’s Director of Campaigns & Outreach), Laura Heaton (writer and editor at the Enough Project), John Prendergast (co-founder of the Enough Project), and Omer Ismail (founder of the Sudan Democratic Forum and co-founder of the Darfur Peace and Development Organization).

If you’re in Vegas for the conference, please come participate in our session on Friday, July 23rd from 4:30 to 5:45 PM in Miranda Room 1-2. If you can’t make it, please check back next week for all the highlights from our panel and Netroots Nation 2010.