Genocide in Darfur discussion (Easton)*
Posted November 7th, 2007 by April | Bethlehem
November 8, 7:30 pm
Lafayette University, Colton Chapel
Easton, PA
This is not an Amnesty International event, but may be of interest to AI supporters.
Nicholas Kristof, renowned author, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and columnist for The New York Times, will present “Genocide in Darfur” 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8 in Colton Chapel.
Free and open to the public, the lecture is sponsored by the Policy Studies program. A reception and book signing will follow the talk.
For complete information, see the press release here.
Rwandan student to speak at Muhlenberg College on Darfur crisis
Posted October 31st, 2007 by April | Allentown, Amnesty News, Bethlehem
This is not an Amnesty International event, but may be of interest to AI supporters.
Muhlenberg College in Allentown is holding a speaking event entitled “Darfur: It’s Time To Globalize Our Responsibility.” The speaker, Stephanie Nyombayire, is a Rwandan student at Swarthmore College who has worked tirelessly to help end the genocide in Darfur. She speaks from experience, having endured the trauma of losing dozens of family members in the Rwandan genocide of 1994.
This event will be on Wednesday, November 7 at 7:00 pm at Miller Forum (Moyer Hall). For more information, call 484-668-3270 or email hillel@muhlenberg.edu.
Darfur: It’s Time To Globalize Our Responsibility (Allentown)*
Posted October 31st, 2007 by April | Allentown, Bethlehem, Other Human Rights News
November 7
Muhlenberg College
Miller Forum (Moyer Hall)
Allentown PA
This is not an Amnesty International event, but may be of interest to AI supporters.
NOTE: The time has been changed to 7:30 pm.
Speaker: Stephanie Nyombayire (Genocide Intervention Network)
Stephanie Nyombayire is a Rwandan student at Swarthmore College who has worked tirelessly to help end the genocide in Darfur. She speaks from experience, having endured the trauma of losing dozens of family members in the Rwandan genocide of 1994.
Co-sponsored by the Center for Ethics and Hillel. For more information, call 484-668-3270, or write hillel@muhlenberg.edu
“Darfur Now” starts November 9 in Philadelphia
Posted October 30th, 2007 by April | Amnesty News
Darfur Now is a story of hope in the midst of one of humanity’s darkest hours – a call to action for people everywhere to end the catastrophe unfolding in Darfur, Sudan. In this documentary, the struggles and achievements of six different individuals, from Hotel Rwanda actor Don Cheadle to a Darfuri woman who joined rebel forces. The film hopes to bring to light the tragedy in Sudan and show how the actions of one person can make a difference to millions.
The film opens to the general public on November 9th at the Ritz Five, 214 Walnut Street, Philadelphia. 99 minutes.
Learn more and view a trailer at myspace
News from Darfur
Posted October 16th, 2007 by April | Take Action
A message from the AIUSA Campaign to Save Darfur
Last week dire news came from north Darfur. In advance of peace talks slated to start October 27 in Tripoli, Sudanese armed forces have gathered in northern Darfur, threatening fragile progress that’s been made in the region.
The people of Darfur desperately need security to protect their human rights and ensure their access to humanitarian assistance. Thanks to your efforts, we overcame a huge hurdle in achieving security when the UN Security Council (UNSC) agreed to send 26,000 UN peacekeepers to be deployed by next year.
It’s now up to us to make sure the UNSC resolution authorizing peacekeepers is quickly and fully implemented. Please send an email to the UN Security Council Presidents, urging them to send authorized peacekeepers quickly and with the resources they need to succeed in their mission.
And remember that on October 24th, United Nations Day, we’ll deliver our Global Petition for Darfur and your signatures to the White House.
Join us in solidarity on the 24th by participating in actions in our action guide (PDF) or by organizing a neighborhood walk-about. The walk-about is an easy and fun way to spread the word about Amnesty’s Campaign to Save Darfur. You simply pick a date, invite a few friends or family members to join you, and distribute special petition door hangers around your neighborhood or school. Get your walk-about materials now, and please contact us if you need assistance. Even if you can’t participate on the 24th, you have until November 30th to collect petitions. We will be doing an additional petition delivery to the White House in early December.
Together with the 400,000 Faces for Darfur group on Facebook, our partner in this petition effort, we’ve already collected over 466,000 signers! We’re now very close to our goal of half a million petition signatures. You can help us reach our goal by telling your friends and family to sign the Global Petition for Darfur.
Human rights protections for the people of Darfur depend on security and with your actions over the past several months, we’re getting closer. Thank you so much for your important activism and advocacy. And please keep it up–send a letter to the UN Security Council Presidents.
Pennsylvania Action on Darfur
Posted October 10th, 2007 by April | Take Action
The conflict in Darfur, western Sudan, has led to some of the worst human rights abuses imaginable, including systematic and widespread murder, torture, rape, abduction, looting, and forced displacement. To ensure the speedy and full deployment of a hybrid UN-African Union peacekeeping force (UNAMID) in Darfur, Khartoum must hear from key economic interests, including the top oil companies that they depend on for revenue: China National Petroleum Corporation, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation of India, Petronas of Malaysia, and Sinopec Corp. of China. Companies like these cannot ignore the Darfur crisis or pretend they have no influence with the government; and neither can the major investors in these companies. One of the most significant investors in Sudan’s oil industry is Vanguard.
Based in Valley Forge, Vanguard is an important member of the community, and as such, your voice matters to them. Let the leadership of Vanguard know how much you care about the crisis in Darfur, and how you believe we all have a role to play in calling on the Government of Sudan to end the violence. Call on Vanguard to use their substantial investor power, to ask oil companies to put pressure on the Government of Sudan to admit UNAMID without impediment.
You can take action right away! Go here to send an email or fax using our sample letter and be sure to select John Brennan, Chairman and CEO of the Vanguard Group.
If you want to learn more about economic activism on Sudan, you can visit the Amnesty website.
Wrap-up on “The Devil Came on Horseback” Panel Discussion
Posted October 8th, 2007 by April | Amnesty News, Bethlehem
Karen Berry writes:
Yesterday’s panel on Darfur following a showing of “The Devil Came on Horseback”, established clearly that the killings and turmoil in Darfur continue. Sarina Berlow moderated a discussion with both bad and good news: OxFam (refugee help) moved out; the UN World Food program has been temporarily suspended, both due to continuing pillaging and aggression by both rebels and government. On the upside, Stephen Spielberg and other prominents have pressed China, who recently voted for the 26,000 UN-AU forces inside Darfur by year’s end. Also elder statesmen Jimmy Carter and Desmond Tutu are working on Khartoum to settle this.
What still can be done is support both state and federal Senate legislation to divest from enterprises supporting Sudan’s military. Make calls to: State Sen. Browne (head of the Finance Committee) at 610-821-8468 and US Sen. Specter at 202-224-4254 and US Sen. Casey at 202-224-6324. Both federal and state bills call for divestment in part from Sudan. And that’s all you have to say—I ask you to move legislation that divests, in part, American money from enterprises that helps Khartoum before it stops the killing in Darfur.
But most chilling was the film itself which spared no sensitivity to scenes of dead and mutilated bodies. After all, it is the story of ex-marine Brian Steidle’s observer mission there in 2005. It is not like Darfur Diaries which was not in the thick of it. Today’s Morning Call review of “The Devil. . . “ says, “It is not an easy film to watch, nor should it be. It is, however, beautifully made.”
Yesterday’s panel was comprised of Rabbi Barbara Goldman-Wartell, Charles Vaccaro and Dr. Hans Wuerth.
Radio show on China and diplomacy
Posted October 6th, 2007 by April | Amnesty News, Philly Center City
From Center City group member Cindy
On October 4, NPR’s Diane Rehm Show hosted a show on “China and Diplomacy” talking about China’s role in Burma and Sudan, human rights and Olympics.
You could listen to the story at:
http://wamu.org/programs/dr/07/10/04.php#13748
Torch Relay for Darfur in Philadelphia*
Posted October 3rd, 2007 by April | Other Human Rights News
This is not an Amnesty International event (as far as I know), but AI stands together with others in working for human rights in Darfur. This invitation is from the Save Darfur Coalition.
Join us at the Philadelphia leg of the Dream for Darfur Olympic Torch Relay! The Relay, organized by the Darfur Alert Coalition, Dream for Darfur, STAND and the Save Darfur Coalition, calls on China to use its considerable leverage on Sudan to help end the genocide in Darfur.
The Philadelphia leg will feature Olympic gold medalist Joey Cheek, Darfurians relating personal stories from Darfur, and several local Darfur advocates.
What: Dream for Darfur Olympic Torch Relay
When: Sunday, October 7, at 2:00pm
Where: Independence Visitors Center Outdoors at 5th & Market Streets.
The Dream for Darfur campaign is a symbolic Olympic Torch Relay from Darfur to Beijing. We lit the first torch this August in eastern Chad, across the border from Darfur. It has since traveled to Rwanda and will continue to places associated with genocide – Armenia, Bosnia, Germany, and Cambodia – linking atrocities in these countries to the current genocide in Darfur.
The U.S. leg of the Relay kicked off in New York City on September 9. The torch will come to Philadelphia on October 7 and will give local activists an opportunity to pressure China to take immediate action to help end the genocide in Darfur. It will then continue to more than 20 cities across the United States, ending in Washington, D.C. on World Human Rights Day.
Co-sponsors include: Jewish Community Relations Council, B’nai B’rith International, STAND, South Jersey Movement for Justice & Peace, Philadelphia Area Black Radical Congress, Sudanese National Rally, Germantown Jewish Center, Gloria Dei Church, Huntingdon Valley The Philadelphia Federation of Reform Synagogues, and more.
Please join us as we urge the Chinese government to help bring the Olympic motto – One World, One Dream – to Darfur.
We hope to see you there!
Best regards,
Coby Rudolph
Save Darfur Coalition
The Bethlehem and Allentown Groups encourage supporters to see the film “The Devil Came on Horseback,” showing October 7-13 at the 514 Theatre in Allentown.
“The Devil Came on Horseback” explains how Brian Steidle left the marines to look for a job and found a calling. As an observer for the African Union in the Sudan, Steidle spent six months watching as a nation consumed itself — as the Sudanese Arab-controlled government enacted systematic genocide against its black African citizens in Darfur.
Complete details here: