Dear President-Elect Obama

During his campaign, President-Elect Obama pledged to "make ending genocide in Darfur a priority from Day One" of his new administration. It is important that he be held to this promise--that as activists we push now for the end of this genocide, not just a continued management of the crisis. According to the Save Darfur Coalition, "Bold steps will require a "peace surge" by the new Administration; strong American leadership and full-scale use of diplomatic resources can create a peace process that would finally achieve a breakthrough which ends the conflict."

There are many simple actions that you can take to help make sure the president-elect upholds his campaign promise. The most simple is to sign the petition to President-Elect Obama on this page (in right column). You can also go to Save Darfur, read the press release on this issue, and download the letter to President-Elect Obama, then write your own letter to the president-elect.

John Prendergast, ENOUGH! co-chair, said, “The election of President Obama is an opportunity for a fundamental change in the world’s approach to Sudan. The time is ripe to work with our international partners, including China and the European Union, to stop simply managing the symptoms of Darfur and actually end the conflict.”

Finally, you can write to your Senators and ask that questions about Darfur are included during confirmation hearings for officials in the Obama administration.

Don't let this opportunity pass us by. Take action today!

More Images from Tents of Hope

Here are some more pictures from the National Gathering of the Tents on the National Mall in Washington DC. More pictures are available at the SAIDC Facebook page.

Unitarian Universalists Youth Tent

San Antonio Interfaith Darfur Coalition Tent

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

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For more than five and a half years the people of Darfur have lived under a brutal reign of terror. The government-sponsored genocide has taken hundreds of thousands of civilian lives and driven more than 2.5 million from their homes. In 2008 alone, violence forced more than 230,000 civilians to flee—sometimes as many as 1,000 per day!

Strong action from the next president can bring peace and protection to the people of Darfur. That's why the Save Darfur Coalition is bringing together people from all faiths and political beliefs to raise their voices and call for Darfur to be a Day One priority for the next president.

Be a Voice for Darfur. Go to www.AddYourVoice.org to send your postcard to the new president, demanding that this humanitarian crisis be a Day One priority in the White House. Add your voice today!

Scenes from Tents of Hope

The SAIDC tent for the Tents of Hope project is now fully painted. Here are scenes of the latest painting event, which took place on Sunday, September 14. There are now six tents planned in the San Antonio area, all of which can be viewed on October 19th from 3-5 PM on Main Plaza in downtown San Antonio. Please email Susan Smylie at saidc@earthlink.net if you would like more information about this project.
All photos courtesy of Gary O Photography.

Tents of Hope San Antonio Gathering

The Tents of Hope San Antonio Gathering will take place Sunday, October 19, 2008 from 3:00-5:00 PM. Come join us on Main Plaza in the heart of San Antonio to create awareness about Darfur and to raise funds for humanitarian relief. We will have music along with the beautiful tents that have been decorated by various groups in the San Antonio region over the last year. After this event, the tents will move on to the national "Gathering of the Tents" in Washington, DC. Free weekend parking for Main Plaza visitors is available at the FROST BANK surface lots located at FLORES @ TRAVIS and FLORES @ HOUSTON