Not on Our Watch (15 page)

‘I mean we were just granted an audience with three very influential senators, and got Senator Graham as a bonus, all potential future leaders of the free world, all people who have publicly vowed to make the crisis in Darfur a part of their agenda. Who’s to blame if we don’t hold them to it? Believe it or not, there are people in the government who do care about these issues, but their hand is weakened when ‘the People’ don’t propel the issue. We, the citizenry, bear or at least share some of the responsibility for our governments’ inaction on Darfur. That’s why we were up there and, no, it isn’t just some BS.’

I wonder if John is right. Would public outcry be persuasive in this instance or are there some issues that are simply insurmountable, no matter the amount of righteous indignation coming from ‘the People’? I knew one thing for sure; the situation in Darfur was rapidly deteriorating and the ‘news,’ in this country anyway, was completely preoccupied with political infighting, conflicts in the Middle East, and
American Idol
. It was as if once the word genocide had been uttered, all further responsibility, by all parties, was abdicated; the effort of conjuring the word was all the power the powerful could muster. Information about the river of pain in Sudan when it reached our shores was all but a small tributary. Perhaps John’s theory would never be tested. How could ‘the People’ voice their outrage about something they’d never even hear about?

‘What do you think about it? BS?’ John was looking for corroboration, but I couldn’t offer any. I shrugged.

‘We’ll see.’

7

The Upstanders

‘Lo ta’amod al dam re’echa’
’

(‘Thou shall not stand idly by the shedding of the blood of thy fellow man.’)

Leviticus 19:16

A True Citizens’ Movement

It is difficult enough in the face of something like slavery to fathom how one individual can affect positive change. In the face of genocide or other mass atrocities, it can seem laughable—Don Quixote challenging the windmills. But as the positive results from the anti-apartheid and debt relief movements attest, the vocal few can become the defiant many. And as we have seen with the successes in other areas of Sudan, the Khartoum government is indeed responsive to persistent international pressure led by governments pressed by their citizenry. And, on a twist of chaos theory, the large shift begins with the flap of one butterfly’s wings.

For some, the call to respond to the crisis in Darfur was natural—maybe an extension of previous work in Sudan or a familial connection to the Holocaust. But many others had to learn about events on the ground, to see interconnectedness between themselves and those suffering in western Sudan and to realise the power of one person. ‘I confess that I was one that thought of change really only on a large scale (in numbers and size) and I feel like I’ve come into contact with the power of passion and the power of a few, and I believe that is what is going to change the world,’ says Robert Kang, co-pastor of The Church in Bethesda and a recent recruit to activism on Darfur.

Despite the obstacles and distance, people are getting involved. On college campuses, in churches and synagogues, and in cities and suburbs, individuals are spreading the word and working to bring an end to the large-scale deaths and devastation. From established organisations shifting their focus to Sudan or coming together to become more effective advocates, to college students mobilising their peers and influencing their administrations, to individuals merely talking to friends, a true citizens’ movement is building to confront the genocide in Sudan. With the launch of the ENOUGH campaign, this movement can be shaped into a permanent constituency fighting genocide and crimes against humanity wherever they occur.

Some of the most influential groups and individuals started early (but it’s never too late!) and have been able to use a national or international platform to inform and encourage others.

There are three interrelated forces at play in cultivating this fledgling movement:

- The power of imagination. Despite a lack of pictures or consistent media coverage, citizens across the world have been able to envision the devastation, the pain, and the possibility of a positive solution in Darfur.

- The courage of our convictions. If we do nothing about it, the phrase ‘Never Again’ will become a symbol of empty rhetoric that every politician dutifully mouths at relevant events. However, citizens and their elected representatives all over the Western world are finally saying enough is enough, standing up and demanding more formidable action by the international community.

- The creation of a movement. Across the United States and the world, we have steadily seen the development of a small movement of committed activists—many of them first-timers—organising and pressing for a bolder international response. They have organised events, held demonstrations, contacted members of parliament, and demanded that their government do more. We haven’t witnessed anything like it since the anti-apartheid movement during the 1980s.

Save Darfur Coalition

Out of a meeting of 40 non-profit organisations in July 2004, hosted by the American Jewish World Service and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, came the most influential organisation rallying for action in Darfur. After Gerry Martone of IRC and John addressed the group that day about what could be done to end the crisis, the attendees were pushed to action by the remarks of Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel (as discussed in Chapter 5). The Save Darfur Coalition is now an alliance of over 170 faith-based, humanitarian, and human rights organisations, representing 130 million people.

Its website acts as a clearinghouse of information and activism, including e-postcards to US Congress and governments worldwide, and suggestions on how you can help in your local community, as well as ways to help fund educational (i.e., help buy ad space in newspapers or on television stations around the country to increase public awareness) and humanitarian efforts.

Jerry Fowler, staff director for the Committee on Conscience at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, was a key figure in the establishment of the Save Darfur Coalition. Jerry visited the refugee camps in eastern Chad in May 2004, where he met face-to-face with the survivors of Janjaweed atrocities. Upon his return to the United States, he gave a presentation on the situation to a group that included David Rubenstein, who had learned about Darfur from reading Nicholas Kristof’s columns in the
New York Times
. David was a consultant to non-profit managers, and he had only recently developed an interest in international affairs. He became involved in aiding the developing world while he was reading Gandhi’s autobiography, and, ‘Gandhi said it was time for him to go serve his people; so I thought maybe it was time for me to go serve my people.’ Living as a middle-class Jewish person in Long Island, David thought it was best to go elsewhere to serve people in need. He took a five-month sabbatical in Guatemala and decided, ‘The rest of my career will be about helping people overseas and using the power and influence of the US government.’

Darfur seemed to David like the most important work that needed to be done at the time. He attended the organising meeting and helped draft the unity statement afterward for the coalition. He soon was asked to coordinate the coalition and helped lay the foundation for its rapid growth.

Ruth Messinger was also key to the establishment of the Save Darfur Coalition. Messinger serves as the executive director of the American Jewish World Service. This organisation is modelled on the Peace Corps and works as an international development organisation, running grassroots projects on the ground in developing countries. Additionally the organisation responds to disasters. In March 2004, the crisis in Darfur was brought to Ruth’s attention. She knew it wasn’t the type of disaster to which AJWS usually responded. Nonetheless, AJWS began visiting Darfur and providing humanitarian aid while also creating awareness in the United States. AJWS agreed to be a conduit for funders of the Save Darfur Coalition. Ruth took on this task with enthusiasm because, she notes, ‘Intervening to help save lives around the world is what I am devoting a part of my life to—whether the HIV/AIDS pandemic or the failure of crops or gross illiteracy or genocide—that’s the work I do, and it’s the work I’ve chosen to do, and I’m very moved by understanding the dimensions of these different types of crises ... I’m one of those people who always feels it’s possible to make a difference rather than retreat to being overwhelmed.’

Additionally, after seeing
Hotel Rwanda
and remembering hearing about Rwanda in 1994 and not doing anything, Ruth wanted to ‘rectify that mistake.’

In addition to organising national days of prayer, on 30 April 2006, the Save Darfur Coalition planned the largest rally on Darfur to date in the United States. After months of advertising, organising, and coordinating the resources of activist groups across the country, and a late but critical show of support from George Clooney, tens of thousands of people filled the National Mall in Washington, DC, to remind the White House of their commitment to confronting the genocide in Darfur. Celebrities, politicians, human rights advocates, Darfurian refugees, and others demanded immediate action to end the crisis. The event was widely covered by national media and increased public knowledge of the situation. Nearly a million postcards from all around the nation were hauled onstage, all addressed to President Bush, urging him to fulfil an earlier pledge to support a stronger multinational force in the region and Congress to set aside the funds to do so. Shortly after the rally, the millionth and millionth-and-one postcards were signed by Senators Bill Frist and Hillary Clinton in a show of bi-partisanship and then delivered to President Bush at the White House.

JOHN:

I had the privilege of speaking that day at the Save Darfur rally. I wanted to go up in a show of solidarity with two of my closest friends and allies in the world on these issues. So we arranged with the rally organisers to allow me to speak together with Gayle Smith and Samantha Power. Former marine captain and Darfur activist Brian Steidle introduced us as collectively having 60 years of experience combating genocide. Together we talked to the assembled about how to affect the political will of our elected officials. All three of us were floored by the size and commitment of the crowd, and saw that our collective long-held dream of a cohesive movement to end mass atrocity crimes had moved a little closer to reality.

On 17 September 2006, to coincide with the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, Save Darfur co-ordinated another rally, this time in New York City. Musicians, former government officials, decision makers, celebrities, and faith leaders all joined in the effort. Again I had the privilege of speaking at the rally, and again I was joined by Samantha. Also speaking at the rally were former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright and actress Mira Sorvino. This time roughly 30,000 people attended the meeting in Central Park, just one of many demonstrations taking place worldwide as part of an international ‘Day for Darfur’.

Samantha and I talked beforehand about how alone we felt for years waging these struggles about forgotten or ignored crises. Staring out into the sea of people chanting for an end to Darfur’s misery was an extraordinary feeling. Without question, the movement is growing, and along with it the possibility for positive change.

Students Taking Action Now: Darfur (STAND)

Students Taking Action Now: Darfur (STAND) is a movement present on over 600 college, university, and high school campuses across the United States, with several more chapters in Canada and a growing membership overseas. Although they now represent a constituency of tens of thousands of students, STAND got its start through the commitment of a few determined individuals.

Nate Wright grew up in Blackfoot, Idaho, a very small, very conservative farming town where nearly everyone belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (commonly known as the Mormon Church). As one of very few Catholic students, he was especially conscious of discrimination, as he was regularly harassed for wearing a cross to elementary school. While Nate escaped that environment by going to university at Georgetown in DC, he didn’t forget about how it felt to be the target of intolerance.

Wright was moved to act on behalf of others when he heard Sudanese bishop Macram Max Gassis speak at Georgetown during the summer of 2004. Bishop Gassis gave an impassioned speech about the plight of the people of Darfur, and at the end he challenged the students to respond. Wright, along with friends Martha Heinemann and Ben Bixby, decided to take up the challenge.

Upon returning to school in the fall of 2004, Bixby became the head of the Georgetown Jewish Students Association and was shortly thereafter contacted by Lisa Rogoff from the Holocaust Museum, who invited the school to participate in a symposium on Darfur at the museum. Bixby, Heinemann, and Wright organised a group of 30 students from Georgetown to attend. It was at that event that STAND was born, when the participating students realised the need to raise awareness among the college student community and tap their potential for mobilising, as had been done by the anti-apartheid movement during the 1980s. Together, Wright, Bixby, Heinemann, and their friends worked to build an inclusive network of interested students, reaching out to a diverse coalition of student groups.

Wright came up with the idea of ‘STANDfast’ as a symbolic gesture. They persuaded students to give up alcohol or another luxury good for the Thanksgiving weekend, and donate the money they would have spent to humanitarian efforts in Darfur. This was an effort to draw public attention to the conflict. The first STANDfast was held in November 2004. As Nate and his friends learned more about Darfur, they realised that a one-off event was not enough. As more people became involved, STAND grew into an organisation that could rapidly expand to other universities. Wright knew that ‘We needed to be able to utilise the talents of individual schools while at the same time have a unifying voice to our efforts.’ STAND aimed to increase awareness, raise funds, and advocate for a political solution to the conflict.

Awareness-raising events would be replicated by STAND’s growing number of chapters throughout North America. While the founders never expected STAND to grow the way it did, they were constantly contacted by students at other schools who wanted to use their organisation as a model for efforts on their own campuses. Student groups have held scores of events on campuses to raise awareness and take political action. For example, in April of 2005, the George Washington University chapter of STAND organised a 24-hour fast outside the State Department in an effort to shame officials there. The group also sponsored a National Lobbying Day to bring in students from other parts of the country to express their concerns over US inaction in the face of genocide. At the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, STAND members participated in a ‘die-in’ in solidarity with the victims in Darfur that garnered so much attention that some students were asked to testify in front of the New Jersey legislature on behalf of a bill that would divest the state pension fund from the stocks of all companies doing business with Sudan. ‘Perhaps we were somewhat naive because we hoped not to be around as long as an organisation,’ says Bixby, one of the co-founders. ‘After about a year, it became obvious that long-term planning was necessary.’

Over the course of two years, through a series of national conferences and events held around the country, STAND groups gradually coordinated to form a national managing committee. This committee now helps to connect students around the world, design campaigns to unify student efforts and strengthen student lobbying power, and provide resources and support for campus organising.