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Americans Working to Improve Human Rights in Darfur

United States Department of State (Washington, DC)
NEWS
December 11, 2006
Posted to the web December 12, 2006

By Michelle Austeinusinfo Staff Writer
Washington, DC
"Our nation is appalled by the genocide in Darfur," President Bush said in a
statement issued on Human Rights Day, December 10. "The United States is
committed to achieving stability, lasting peace and the restoration of basic
human rights for the people of Darfur."
Human Rights Day commemorates the United Nations General Assembly's adoption of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948. Established in
1950, Human Rights Day also offers the international community an opportunity
to celebrate human rights and human rights defenders and to reflect on the
principles set forth in the declaration.
"It is only fitting that we take the time today to remember the value of every
human life and the right of every person in the world to live in peace with
dignity and respect," the president said.
"As we commemorate the 58th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights... we must remember that with the crisis in Darfur, now is no time to
celebrate," Nancy Pelosi, the incoming speaker of the House of Representatives,
said in a December 8 statement posted on the Save Darfur Coalition Web site.
The Save Darfur Coalition is an alliance of more than 175 faith-based, advocacy
and humanitarian organizations working to help the people of Darfur. (See
related article.)
"It is time to champion the rights of the declaration not by words, but through
our actions," Pelosi said. "We are compelled by the conscience of the world to
put an end to this humanitarian disaster and restore dignity and hope to the
Darfuri."
The situation in the Darfur region of Sudan was the primary focus for many
lectures, rallies, films, prayer groups and other Human Rights Day 2006 events.
In an internationally organized effort to get the Sudanese government's
attention, activists peacefully protested outside the Sudanese Embassy in
Washington. Similar demonstrations occurred near many of Sudan's other
embassies throughout the world. Members of Amnesty International USA
participated in the "Write in White" campaign, which called on supporters to
wear white -- a color of mourning in many countries -- to show solidarity with
those in Darfur and write letters to leaders and media outlets asking them to
do more to help stop the violence in the region.
AMERICAN STUDENTS AT THE FOREFRONT OF DARFUR CAMPAIGNS
Over the past few years, American students have been involved in campaigns to
draw attention to and suggest solutions for ending human rights abuses in
Darfur.
On college campuses and in secondary schools, students have held fundraisers
and rallies, circulated petitions and published opinion articles in their
school newspapers. These actions have had some effect: Students at Brown
University in Providence, Rhode Island, for example, successfully convinced
their school's governing board to divest from companies whose business
activities support the Sudanese government.
The Brown University students' work might have had an impact off campus as
well. Following the university's February divestment, Providence became the
first U.S. city to divest its assets from Sudan. The Rhode Island Legislature
also is expected to vote on measures for divestment. To date, more than 30 U.S.
schools have divested their assets from companies doing business in Sudan.
Students from different campuses across the country often work together.
Members of the 600 university and secondary school chapters of the Student
Anti-Genocide Campaign (STAND) cooperate to raise awareness of the crisis in
Darfur and advocate political solutions. STAND members have united across many
campuses as well. In October, more than 100 college chapters fasted or gave up
a luxury for a day to raise more than $100,000 for Darfur. STAND members have
met with professional lobbyists, international policy officials and other
leaders to discuss measures that can be taken to improve the situation in
Darfur.
Scott Warren, a Brown University sophomore and STAND's communications
coordinator, said the organization, which started in 2004 at Georgetown
University in Washington, now has 600 chapters actively fighting against the
humanitarian crisis triggered by the conflict in Africa.
In an interview with USINFO December 7, Warren said students are being "spurred
to action by realizing that genocide is the most heinous crime in humanity
today." He said students today were appalled by the 1994 genocide in Rwanda,
but were not old enough to do anything about it. "We failed to do anything in
past genocides," Warren said, "It's time to start taking the words 'never
again' to heart."
The full text of Bush's statement is available on the White House Web site.
(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)


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