On Sunday, April 30, in Washington, D.C., the “Save Darfur: Rally to Stop Genocide,” brought thousands of people together, including a bus load of Binghamton University students organized by Hillel, BU’s biggest Jewish group.
“We are committed to getting closer to the end of genocide,” said Jackie Farber, the Jewish Campus Service Core Fellow of Hillel who was integral in the trip to Washington, D.C., and its arrangement.
The Darfur region of the Republic of the Sudan is characterized by an everyday struggle to survive. Villages are being decimated, people are being murdered and women are being raped. The Darfur region has been crumbling in this crisis since early 2003, demonstrators said.
The conflict is between the non-Arab people of the region and a militia group called the Janjaweed. The Janjaweed are being provided arms and assistance by the Sudanese government, despite denial of affiliation between the two. What is happening now is what many call ethnic cleansing, or genocide.
While chaos continues in Darfur, rallies are being held in the United States to urge the Bush administration to become more involved, and awareness of the issue is becoming more widespread.
The rally brought in speakers of all religions and professions, including such names as United States Senator Barack Obama, actor George Clooney, Reverend Al Sharpton and producer/actor Russell Simmons.
As the death toll in Darfur nears half a million people — many due to starvation, disease and poisoning of their local wells by the militia groups — activists are hoping that this rally in Washington, D.C., will finally convince President Bush to become involved.
“I went because this is something we really can stop before it gets too bad, before it becomes another Holocaust or Rwanda,” said freshman Caryn Schreiber of her visit to the capital.
Though she was disappointed in the way the rally was more about the speakers and less about the crowd working as a unit, Schreiber “liked seeing all major world religions finally uniting over a good cause.”
Sophomore Jessica Engelman, another attendee of the rally, said, “It was amazing seeing the turnout. I really think something is going to be done about it.”
Engelman’s favorite speaker of the event was Paul Rusesabagina, whose story was depicted in the movie “Hotel Rwanda.” She said because he was speaking as someone who experienced such atrocities firsthand, his words were painfully relevant and moving.
In correlation with the trip to Washington, D.C., “we’ve been working on creating SAGE, Students Against Genocide Everywhere,” Farber said.
SAGE’s slogan is “Never Again,” which is apt in its reference to genocide generally, as well as to the horrible idea of it occurring in today’s world.
In addition to their presence at the rally in Washington, D.C., Hillel is proving proactive in their passion to stop the genocide in Darfur.
From 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, May 4, Hillel held a demonstration to distribute information about the happenings in Darfur. They also organized a car wash at the Auto Zone on Sunday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. to raise money for the cause.
“We want everyone on campus to be able to say, ‘I know what’s going on in Darfur,’” Farber said.