For future notice, unless there's a pressing issue, updates will be coming on Wednesdays, following our weekly meetings, and before and after major events and fundraisers.
On to the belated update for last week:
The MassPIRG Kickoff last Tuesday night was a big success! We had roughly 30 people attend our breakout session, which means that the Save Darfur Campaign has about 30 members, most of them new this semester. That means fresh ideas, new goals and new enthusiasm, all of which are very positive things.
The big news coming out of the kickoff is that we've decided on a weekly meeting time, so from now on we will be meeting at 6 pm on Tuesday nights. The first meeting, tomorrow night, will be in the Bluewall in the Campus Center, although in the future we may try to move to a classroom. There will be an announcement if that happens.
The other big news is that we are now officially planning for our first major event; we will be hosting a display on the Library Lawn and a Day of Silence/Remembrance, both in October and probably connected. More on that as the details get cemented.
Throughout the semester we will be petitioning presidential and vice presidential candidates, and media outlets/personalities hosting debates, asking them to address a plan for Darfur. We've already collected 50 signatures on the presidential/vice presidential petitions!
And finally last week we held our first Challah for a Dollah sale. Working with Hillel House we sell challah bread (a Jewish bread that we often help to bake, although we didn't last week), usually in Bartlett Hall. All the proceeds go to the Genocide Intervention Network, which in turn sends the money to refugee camps in Darfur and in neighboring Chad. The money goes to fund AU troops, purchase necessities for the refugees, and to launch self-sustaining businesses in the camps, which helps give the refugees a sense of purpose and control. We will be doing this four more times this semester. Last week we raised over $60, which is a great start. So look out for us in the future (I'll probably post to the blog when we know the dates we'll be selling).
More Wednesday! (Also, beginning Wednesday, each weekly post will have a news update)
Monday, September 22, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Take Action...
Our event on Tuesday night went very well; there were a number of new faces, which is always good. Hopefully some people learned more about the conflict in Darfur, and about ways that we as students and as individuals can affect change. If you have any questions, comments or critiques about the meeting, leave a comment or send an e-mail (umassdarfurgroup@gmail.com) and someone will get in touch with you soon.
Just a few updates about the group now that we are back on campus.
As I believe I've mentioned before, The Save Darfur Campaign at UMass is lucky enough to be both a registered STAND : Student Anti-Genocide Coaliton chapter and a part of MassPIRG, which is a student funded student run organization looking at non-partisan solutions to a number of pressing social issues, including Save Darfur, Climate Change, Affordable College and Textbooks, Hunger and Homelessness, and registering new voters (our goal is to have 90% of the campus registered to vote by election day - that's 19,000 people!).
If you're interested in MassPIRG but you haven't stopped by the office or filled out an interest card yet, come by (415 Student Union). There will also be a kickoff meeting next Tuesday night, September 16, 2008. Look for another post on that as soon as I know the exact time.
And now for your thirty second action...
President Bush is going to be addressing the United Nations on September 23, so go ahead and sign this petition asking him to mention Darfur and push for the International Criminal Court Charges to go ahead as scheduled. Sudan and some of its allies are trying to postpone the charges, and delay any action for yet another year.
The people of Darfur cannot wait another year.
Just a few updates about the group now that we are back on campus.
As I believe I've mentioned before, The Save Darfur Campaign at UMass is lucky enough to be both a registered STAND : Student Anti-Genocide Coaliton chapter and a part of MassPIRG, which is a student funded student run organization looking at non-partisan solutions to a number of pressing social issues, including Save Darfur, Climate Change, Affordable College and Textbooks, Hunger and Homelessness, and registering new voters (our goal is to have 90% of the campus registered to vote by election day - that's 19,000 people!).
If you're interested in MassPIRG but you haven't stopped by the office or filled out an interest card yet, come by (415 Student Union). There will also be a kickoff meeting next Tuesday night, September 16, 2008. Look for another post on that as soon as I know the exact time.
And now for your thirty second action...
President Bush is going to be addressing the United Nations on September 23, so go ahead and sign this petition asking him to mention Darfur and push for the International Criminal Court Charges to go ahead as scheduled. Sudan and some of its allies are trying to postpone the charges, and delay any action for yet another year.
The people of Darfur cannot wait another year.
Friday, September 5, 2008
TAKE ACTION: Support The Case Against Bashir
Like a lot of Darfur activists, I've had mixed feelings about the International Criminal Court's decision to charge Omar al-Bashir. However, if you look at what the refugees have been saying, the refugees want this. They want Omar al-Bashir brought to justice. They know that that is the only way that there can be peace. There is no simple option. There is no compromise.
That's why I'm asking you to take action. The UN is considering blocking the charges against Bashir. Tell President Bush that the United States can't let that happen. Tell President Bush you want justice, because right now, the refugees don't have a say.
Sign here.
That's why I'm asking you to take action. The UN is considering blocking the charges against Bashir. Tell President Bush that the United States can't let that happen. Tell President Bush you want justice, because right now, the refugees don't have a say.
Sign here.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Back to Campus...
As many of our readers know, this week is back-to-campus week at UMass Amherst, and the first official week of school. That means our group is also back, and we have certainly hit the ground running.
We were in the Campus Center for much of the day today recruiting new volunteers and increasing visibility, and of course, publicizing our event.
That's right. Our event.
Next Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 6:30 pm, we will be hosting our little mini-kickoff meeting. We're calling it our "Information Session" but it'll really be more of a celebration of what we've done, what we can, will and should do, and why we matter. It's a fabulous opportunity to come get to know us; we'll have volunteers around the room so you can chat them up about their personal experiences, and of course, it's a great chance to meet my co-coordinator Rand (who ran allllll over campus getting flyers printed for us - thanks Rand!) and myself, Liz, if you haven't already. So stop by.
Especially if you feel like you need more information about the Sudan, Darfur, the genocide, activism, and the many, many organizations working to put an end to this conflict. There will be a slideshow presentation about all of that stuff, so we can definitely clue you in.
And it's totally cool to come late or leave early if you have to, so be there!
That's Campus Center room 803, Tuesday September 9 at 6:30 pm.
If you can't make it, but want to be involved this semester, leave us a comment or send us an e-mail (UmassDarfurGroup@gmail.com)
And now on to the general MassPIRG information...
MassPIRG is a student run, student funded activist organization that tackles various important causes, from saving Darfur, to stopping Global Warming, to reducing hunger and homelessness, to getting YOU cheaper textbooks. And MassPIRG gets results. In almost every campaign, we've had major legislation passed on the state and/or national level in the last year.
AND you can get credit for helping us! We have internship opportunities available, for class credit (we're totally cool with people who just want to volunteer, too).
So if that sounds like something you're interested in doing, you should stop by the MassPIRG table in the Campus Center concourse any day this week, or at the Activities Expo on the library lawn from 4 to 7 pm tomorrow night. We'll probably also come around to one of your classes at some point in the next few weeks.
Or of course, you can leave us a comment or send us an e-mail (UmassDarfurGroup@gmail.com).
Hope to hear from you all soon!
We were in the Campus Center for much of the day today recruiting new volunteers and increasing visibility, and of course, publicizing our event.
That's right. Our event.
Next Tuesday, September 9, 2008 at 6:30 pm, we will be hosting our little mini-kickoff meeting. We're calling it our "Information Session" but it'll really be more of a celebration of what we've done, what we can, will and should do, and why we matter. It's a fabulous opportunity to come get to know us; we'll have volunteers around the room so you can chat them up about their personal experiences, and of course, it's a great chance to meet my co-coordinator Rand (who ran allllll over campus getting flyers printed for us - thanks Rand!) and myself, Liz, if you haven't already. So stop by.
Especially if you feel like you need more information about the Sudan, Darfur, the genocide, activism, and the many, many organizations working to put an end to this conflict. There will be a slideshow presentation about all of that stuff, so we can definitely clue you in.
And it's totally cool to come late or leave early if you have to, so be there!
That's Campus Center room 803, Tuesday September 9 at 6:30 pm.
If you can't make it, but want to be involved this semester, leave us a comment or send us an e-mail (UmassDarfurGroup@gmail.com)
And now on to the general MassPIRG information...
MassPIRG is a student run, student funded activist organization that tackles various important causes, from saving Darfur, to stopping Global Warming, to reducing hunger and homelessness, to getting YOU cheaper textbooks. And MassPIRG gets results. In almost every campaign, we've had major legislation passed on the state and/or national level in the last year.
AND you can get credit for helping us! We have internship opportunities available, for class credit (we're totally cool with people who just want to volunteer, too).
So if that sounds like something you're interested in doing, you should stop by the MassPIRG table in the Campus Center concourse any day this week, or at the Activities Expo on the library lawn from 4 to 7 pm tomorrow night. We'll probably also come around to one of your classes at some point in the next few weeks.
Or of course, you can leave us a comment or send us an e-mail (UmassDarfurGroup@gmail.com).
Hope to hear from you all soon!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Should Reads
The latest Should Read initially comes from my co-coordinator Rand, but I'm also reading it, so really it's a double recommendation.
In Rand's words:
For those of you looking for a great summer read, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Not On Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond. It's co-authored by activist Academy-award winning actor Don Cheadle along with former White House official John Prendergast, with an introduction by Senators Barack Obama and Sam Brownback. It's a smooth read that'll get you fired up about human rights abuses worldwide.
I'll add that the book gives an extensive, detailed history of this conflict and the Second Sudanese Civil War (which was a seperate conflict, but in many ways bled - quite literally - into what is now happening in Darfur. It is also on the verge of spilling over once more. Don Cheadle has been a great champion for the people of Darfur, and a strong activist, and I hope he continues to call attention to the gencoide.
I'd also advise people interested in following the news to keep an eye on the BBC website (not sure if I included that in the last should read, but if I did it's worth repeating). The BBC has an entire page dedicated to news about Sudan, and regularly runs stories about Darfur. And because it's known as a reliable, international news source, it can be trusted to be impartial and show multiple angles and facets to the conflict. The sheer amount of information the BBC has published on Darfur is almost overwhelming. It is certainly more than any other news organization I have seen. The page on the Sudan can be accessed here.
Their most recent article, on escalating violence in Northern Darfur, can be accessed here.
In Rand's words:
For those of you looking for a great summer read, I highly recommend picking up a copy of Not On Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond. It's co-authored by activist Academy-award winning actor Don Cheadle along with former White House official John Prendergast, with an introduction by Senators Barack Obama and Sam Brownback. It's a smooth read that'll get you fired up about human rights abuses worldwide.
I'll add that the book gives an extensive, detailed history of this conflict and the Second Sudanese Civil War (which was a seperate conflict, but in many ways bled - quite literally - into what is now happening in Darfur. It is also on the verge of spilling over once more. Don Cheadle has been a great champion for the people of Darfur, and a strong activist, and I hope he continues to call attention to the gencoide.
I'd also advise people interested in following the news to keep an eye on the BBC website (not sure if I included that in the last should read, but if I did it's worth repeating). The BBC has an entire page dedicated to news about Sudan, and regularly runs stories about Darfur. And because it's known as a reliable, international news source, it can be trusted to be impartial and show multiple angles and facets to the conflict. The sheer amount of information the BBC has published on Darfur is almost overwhelming. It is certainly more than any other news organization I have seen. The page on the Sudan can be accessed here.
Their most recent article, on escalating violence in Northern Darfur, can be accessed here.
Joey Cheek and Team Darfur
This is an e-mail sent to our group by my co-coordinator Rand. I'm posting it here for anyone who isn't on our e-mail list who reads the blog. If you would like to be on our e-mail list, leave a comment or send an e-mail to UMassDarfurGroup@gmail.com.
As you all know, the Summer Olympics in Beijing are well underway. While national champions like swimmer Michael Phelps and beach volleyball players Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh continue to sweep up the spotlight with their athletic feats, I wanted to take a moment to let you all know about someone who's proven himself to be a true Olympian – even though he's been barred from this year's games.
This year's 2008 Beijing Olympics have stirred up controversy for many reasons, one of which is the Chinese government's financial support of Sudanese militias in Darfur. As Liz made clear in our previous email, we're not advocating a boycott of the Olympics, but instead an expansion of the true Olympic message of international peace. And there's one athlete in particular who has embodied this ideal.
His name is Joey Cheek, and speedskater fans may recognize him as a former Olympian and world-record holder. Yet it can be argued that winning a gold and a silver medal at the 2006 Turin Olympics wasn't his true shining moment; that came when he donated all of his Olympic winnings and his international fundraising – a grand total of over $1 million dollars – to the people of Darfur.
In correlation with this effort, Cheek is the co-founder and president of an inspiring organization called Team Darfur. Team Darfur is "an international coalition of athletes committed to raising awareness about and bringing an end to the crisis in Darfur, Sudan." Their membership includes over 400 athletes worldwide, brought together by a single message: enough is enough.
But only hours before Cheek was set to fly to Beijing, his visa was revoked by the Chinese government. Chinese officials gave no direct reason for the retraction, but it did likewise revoke the visas of a few other Team Darfur athletes. This move has upset many American officials, including presidential nominees Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama. As the latter wrote in a statement, "Joey Cheek has been a courageous and leading voice for international action to stop the genocide in Darfur. China's decision to revoke his visa is deeply disturbing, and contradicts Beijing's promises to run an open Olympic Games." In a statement that echoes this sentiment, Senator McCain wrote, "I am very disappointed by Beijing's decision to revoke the visa of 2006 Olympic gold medalist Joey Cheek...[this] is not in keeping with China's pledge to hold an open games." (And may I add, if these two strikingly different presidential nominees can agree on their mutual outrage, you know that it's important!)
I also wanted to bring your attention in particular to Joey Cheek because of something else that's remarkable about him: he's our age. He's currently a freshman at Princeton University studying economics and Chinese. That just goes to show that you don't have to be an international politician to take crucial steps toward ending a horrific genocide.
So, while athletes like Joey Cheek and co-founder Brad Greiner have been excluded from this year's games, it's clear that the men and women of Team Darfur continue to represent the true Olympic spirit, even if they're nowhere near the borders of China.
To learn more about Team Darfur and take part in their petitions, visit their website at www.teamdarfur.org/takeaction. I also encourage you all to go to this link (http://teamdarfur.org/fanpledge) and take a minute of your time to write your support of the Team Darfur athletes, especially for those who may have sacrificed an Olympic dream for the Darfur Dream.
Thanks!
As you all know, the Summer Olympics in Beijing are well underway. While national champions like swimmer Michael Phelps and beach volleyball players Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh continue to sweep up the spotlight with their athletic feats, I wanted to take a moment to let you all know about someone who's proven himself to be a true Olympian – even though he's been barred from this year's games.
This year's 2008 Beijing Olympics have stirred up controversy for many reasons, one of which is the Chinese government's financial support of Sudanese militias in Darfur. As Liz made clear in our previous email, we're not advocating a boycott of the Olympics, but instead an expansion of the true Olympic message of international peace. And there's one athlete in particular who has embodied this ideal.
His name is Joey Cheek, and speedskater fans may recognize him as a former Olympian and world-record holder. Yet it can be argued that winning a gold and a silver medal at the 2006 Turin Olympics wasn't his true shining moment; that came when he donated all of his Olympic winnings and his international fundraising – a grand total of over $1 million dollars – to the people of Darfur.
In correlation with this effort, Cheek is the co-founder and president of an inspiring organization called Team Darfur. Team Darfur is "an international coalition of athletes committed to raising awareness about and bringing an end to the crisis in Darfur, Sudan." Their membership includes over 400 athletes worldwide, brought together by a single message: enough is enough.
But only hours before Cheek was set to fly to Beijing, his visa was revoked by the Chinese government. Chinese officials gave no direct reason for the retraction, but it did likewise revoke the visas of a few other Team Darfur athletes. This move has upset many American officials, including presidential nominees Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama. As the latter wrote in a statement, "Joey Cheek has been a courageous and leading voice for international action to stop the genocide in Darfur. China's decision to revoke his visa is deeply disturbing, and contradicts Beijing's promises to run an open Olympic Games." In a statement that echoes this sentiment, Senator McCain wrote, "I am very disappointed by Beijing's decision to revoke the visa of 2006 Olympic gold medalist Joey Cheek...[this] is not in keeping with China's pledge to hold an open games." (And may I add, if these two strikingly different presidential nominees can agree on their mutual outrage, you know that it's important!)
I also wanted to bring your attention in particular to Joey Cheek because of something else that's remarkable about him: he's our age. He's currently a freshman at Princeton University studying economics and Chinese. That just goes to show that you don't have to be an international politician to take crucial steps toward ending a horrific genocide.
So, while athletes like Joey Cheek and co-founder Brad Greiner have been excluded from this year's games, it's clear that the men and women of Team Darfur continue to represent the true Olympic spirit, even if they're nowhere near the borders of China.
To learn more about Team Darfur and take part in their petitions, visit their website at www.teamdarfur.org/takeaction. I also encourage you all to go to this link (http://teamdarfur.org/fanpledge) and take a minute of your time to write your support of the Team Darfur athletes, especially for those who may have sacrificed an Olympic dream for the Darfur Dream.
Thanks!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
The Olympics...
The Olympics are now on their third day, and as I've written in the past, we are not in any way urging a boycott. However, there is one thing you can do while you're watching the Olympics to help educate yourself about Darfur, and to help world leaders see that people do care about what's happening there.
The Darfur Olympics are a special project from Mia Farrow; each day that the Olympics are on television, the Darfur Olympics release a video from the refugee camps in the Sudan and Chad. During the commercials, if you can switch the television off and watch these videos online, it will send a statement that Darfur is still on people's minds. No matter how glorious the opening ceremony, or how intense the competition, the world has not forgotten Darfur.
Even if you don't watch the Olympics at all, please take time to watch these videos; they're only a few minutes each, and we can all spare a few minutes a day.
There are also music videos donated to the Darfur Olympics from artists like the 420 Funk Mob, REM, The Jones Street Boys, Taking Back Sunday and others, so check those out while you're there.
Please go to www.darfurolympics.org.
The Darfur Olympics are a special project from Mia Farrow; each day that the Olympics are on television, the Darfur Olympics release a video from the refugee camps in the Sudan and Chad. During the commercials, if you can switch the television off and watch these videos online, it will send a statement that Darfur is still on people's minds. No matter how glorious the opening ceremony, or how intense the competition, the world has not forgotten Darfur.
Even if you don't watch the Olympics at all, please take time to watch these videos; they're only a few minutes each, and we can all spare a few minutes a day.
There are also music videos donated to the Darfur Olympics from artists like the 420 Funk Mob, REM, The Jones Street Boys, Taking Back Sunday and others, so check those out while you're there.
Please go to www.darfurolympics.org.
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