Tents of Hope National Event

I am in Washington, DC attending the National Tents of Hope gathering. There is also a Save Darfur Coalition Conference going on, which started with a salon discussion with Jerry Fowler, President of Save Darfur and Gary Bass, author of Freedom's Battle: the Origins of Humanitarian Intervention and a professor at Princeton University. There were a number of Darfurians in attendance. It was clear from the discussion that what we are doing truly matters, but it is also not nearly enough. I hope to learn more about what we can hope to accomplish over the next two days and to bring that information back to all of you.

In addition to the salon, we attended a student march and vigil at the Sudanese Embassy (I have two high-school students with me). It was exciting to see so much energy and enthusiasm at work. We also helped put up tents. Below are pictures of some of today's events, including many pictures of the San Antonio/New Braunfels/Seguin area tents.

Scenes from San Antonio Gathering of the Tents

TAKE ACTION!

1. Join a group working to stop genocide.
The San Antonio Interfaith Darfur Coalition (SAIDC) holds regular meetings and events to raise awareness and action to end the genocide. Join our email list from this page. Visit www.savedarfur.org for information about the national Save Darfur movement.

2. Contact your elected representatives.
Call 1-800 GENOCIDE to get legislative action alerts and contact your congress people to express your support for Darfur-related legislation. Go to www.genocideintervention.net or www.enoughproject.org for fact sheets and reports that help you understand the legislative issues.

3. Donate to humanitarian agencies operating in Darfur and Chad camps.
Please visit the International Medical Corps www.imcworldwide.org to learn more about their humanitarian work in Darfur and Chad.

4. Pressure China to end the violence in Darfur.
Dream for Darfur is organizing an Olympic Torch Relay from Darfur to Beijing and across the United States to galvanize public support around the world to exert pressure on China to stop the genocide in Darfur. Visit www.dreamfordarfur.org for more information. San Antonio event: December 3, 2007

5. Support the Sudan Divestment Movement.
Sudan relies heavily on foreign investment to fund its genocidal activity. Join the international movement to put economic pressure on the Sudanese government by divesting from companies that fund the Sudanese government’s military activities. Visit www.sudandivestment.org for more information.

6. Raise Awareness.
Small actions can make a big difference. Talk to people about what is happening in Darfur, have a dinner for Darfur (ask for donations for humanitarian aid), show the movie Hotel Rwanda, download resources from the internet and hand them out. Read the book Not on Our Watch by Don Cheadle and John Prendergast for more ideas. Be a voice for the people of Darfur.

San Antonio Darfur Events

There are numerous Darfur related events coming up in the next two weeks in San Antonio. Please be sure to attend some to learn more about what is happening and what you can do. Most events will provide an opportunity for you to take action. Look in the Upcoming Events section of this page to see details. Don't be a bystander to genocide. Let the people of Darfur know they are remembered.

Global Days of Action for Darfur

We are now officially in the Global Days of Action for Darfur (April 23-30). The goal for the next week is for all of us to take action, to tell our leaders "Time Has Run Out for Talk" and that it is time to implement--and enforce--tough sanctions that compel the government of Sudan to allow the deployment of international peacekeepers.

What you can do:

1) Call the White House--(202) 456-1414. Tell the President you support the sanctions he spoke about in his speech on April 18th at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum and that you want them implemented by May 1 if international peacekeepers have not been deployed to Darfur.

Read President Bush's Speech

2) Support divestment and learn what you can do to keep your money from funding the genocide:

Let Senator Cornyn know you support the Sudan Divestment Authorization Act of 2007 (S. 831) he introduced that makes it clear it is constitutional for states to divest from companies doing business with the government of Sudan. 202-224-2934 Read what Senator Cornyn has to say about Darfur

Ask Senator Hutchison to support the Sudan Divestment Authorization Act of 2007 (S. 831) introduced by Senator Cornyn. 202-224-5922

Tell your state representative that you support Texas' divestment from companies doing business with the government of Sudan (HB 1569). Find your Representative

Learn more about divestment (and perhaps work to personally divest):

www.sudandivestment.org
www.fidelityoutofsudan.org

3) Contribute to humanitarian aid through the International Medical Corps--specify Chad/Darfur on the drop-down menu. Pictures of refugees on this page were taken at an IMC refugee camp in Chad.

4) Host a Gathering Against Genocide (GAG) in your home or at the San Antonio Holocaust Museum. These events are designed to educate others about what is happening in Darfur and spur them to action. You might show the movie Hotel Rwanda, then hold a letter writing session. Or, hold a "Dinner for Darfur" where you ask your guests for donations for humanitarian aid. There are endless opportunities for action. Be creative. The more people working to end this crisis, the more effective we will be.

5) If you are a gallery or restaurant owner or manager and would like to spread the word about Darfur, contact us about displaying photographs of refugees, taken by Caesar Ricci. We have framed, high-quality photographs ready for display. Help spread the word! Email SAIDC@earthlink.net for information.

6) Come to the next SAIDC meeting (May 22) to learn about what we have in the works, and contribute your ideas!

Article about Messinger Talk

Read the San Antonio College Ranger article about Ruth Messinger's talk to SAIDC:

San Antonio coalition urges
stopping genocide in Darfur

Recommended Reading List

Some reading and viewing recommendations were made at the last SAIDC meeting:

What is the What? by Dave Eggers
(Lost boys of southern Sudan--fiction)

Acts of Faith by Philip Caputo
(Aid workers in southern Sudan--fiction)

"The Devil Came on Horseback" (documentary film)
(Based on experiences of Brian Steidle in Darfur)

Sudan Divestment in Texas

SAIDC has joined a statewide movement to divest Texas from companies that fund the Sudanese government. This movement is led by the Sudan Divestment Task Force, the Genocide Intervention Network, and STAND (Students Taking Action Now in Darfur).

The Texas legislation calls for a "targeted divestment" model which focuses only on companies that provide revenue to the Government of Sudan and do not substantially benefit the Sudanese people.

70-80% of Sudan's revenues from foreign investment go to its military--by putting economic and political pressure on these companies to pull out of Sudan, we can impact the Sudanese government's ability to fund the genocide.

To date, six states, five cities, and over 30 colleges and universities have approved restrictions on their Sudan-linked investments. Twenty states (including Texas) will consider targeted divestment legislation in 2007.

Both the International Crisis Group and Human Rights Group have recommended economic santions to help resolve the crisis in Darfur.

Help Texas take a stand for Darfur!

Please write, call, and visit with your state legislators.
Senate Bill: Information and Talking Points
House Bill:Information and Talking Points
Find your Representatives!

Learn More: Texas Divestment Campaign

Learn more: Divestment Movement

Get Involved! Contact SAIDC

Understanding Sudan Series

Understanding the Genocide in Darfur
And learning what action it takes to stop it
A two part series on “Understanding Sudan” will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27 and Feb. 28 at University Presbyterian Church, 300 Bushnell (corner of Shook and Bushnell, one block west of Trinity University.)

7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27
“Bearing Witness: Crisis in Darfur” with Ruth Messinger, president of American Jewish World Service.
Messinger will bring the latest information about recent events in Darfur, the urgency of the situation and efforts which have been made to bring this genocidal situation to the world’s attention.

7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 28
“The Lessons of the World's Longest Civil War: Southern Sudan” with Bobbie-Frances McDonald, founder of the Sudan Advocacy Action Forum.
McDonald will provide important background information about Southern Sudan and the connections with the ongoing Darfur genocide. She will explore the problems facing southerners today and why this is relevant to Darfur's future.

Ruth W. Messinger is the president of American Jewish World Service, an international development organization providing support to 300 grassroots social change projects throughout the world. Prior to assuming this role in 1998, Ms. Messinger was in public service in New York City for 20 years. In honor of her tireless work to end the genocide in Darfur, Sudan, Ruth Messinger received an award from the Jewish Council for Public Affairs in February 2006. In tribute to her life’s work, she was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Hebrew Union College in 2005. For the past six years, she has been named one of the 50 most influential Jews of the year by the Forward.

Bobbie-Frances McDonald is the founder of Sudan Advocacy Action Forum, (www.sudanadvocacy.com), a grassroots effort endorsed by the Presbyterian Church (USA), and committed to educating people about the crisis in Sudan and informing them of ways they can support efforts for a just and lasting peace for all Sudanese.

McDonald has traveled extensively to Sudan over the past 7 years. She is part of the Darfur Advocacy Network via Action by Churches Together (ACT) and Caritas. In September, 2006 she traveled to Khartoum representing Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA). Her work is at the local, national, and international levels.