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.
we are recent graduates of The Galloway School in Atlanta, Georgia. This year we had the pleasure of co-chairing the 
From there everything seemed to fall into place. Before we knew it we were sitting around a table with some of the most influential people in the Atlanta music scene talking about nothing other than DARFUR! Ed Roland agreed that he and Collective Soul would headline the event and that they would play a full ninety-minute set. Peter Conlan donated The Tabernacle, an amazing concert venue in downtown Atlanta, and Jeff Dauler, co-host and executive producer of Q-100’s “
Of course, we very quickly realized that in order to sell out a huge venue like The Tabernacle, we needed some help! So, we created the Darfur Student Board that was comprised of 20 students from 16 different metro Atlanta-area high schools. These students helped to raise awareness about Darfur in their individual schools and encouraged the students in their school to attend the concert. Finally, at 7:00 pm on March 27, 2009, The Collective Soul Benefit Concert for Darfur kicked off! Over 2,300 attendees signed post cards for Obama and sported Darfur t-shirts and wristbands while rocking out to some amazing music! Jerry Fowler, president of The 
As I write this it hits me that it was 15 years ago today, 15 years ago just a bit after 8 in the evening that we heard an explosion. We were settling in for the evening in our home in Kigali and were completely unaware that the president’s plane (a sweet little jet, courtesy of President Mitterand) had just circled over our house, landing gear down, when a couple of surface-to- air missiles streaked up from somewhere, fired by someone, as it approached the airport and killed the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi, along with everyone else on board. This was the detonator for the worst killing spree of the last century. Not a random killing spree, but a genocide that had been in the making for years with specific plans being meticulously put in place over the previous 2 years.
In compiling the anthology, Dedicated to the People of Darfur: Writings on Fear, Risk and Hope, one of the biggest lessons that we have learned is that we don’t need fame, money or power to rally people together for a cause we believe in and accomplish something meaningful. When we began the project we were graduate students (Jennifer in Communication, Luke in English). We were working our way through our degrees, with little money in our pockets and less in the bank account. Yet, we felt a strong passion to somehow create funds to help those doing work in and for the people of Darfur. Each time we read a New York Times article about the situation there, or in reading 
Darfur advocacy by refurbishing and 
The Darfur Heroes program, started last year by the coalition, highlights individuals and groups who play a crucial role in helping end the violence in Darfur through awareness-raising and other efforts. This month, Save Darfur is honoring the tireless work of Darfuri diaspora leaders in the United States – in particular, 
My name is Joey Cheek and I am the president and co-founder of 
