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EDUCATION AND ADVOCACY - NEXT STEPS
December 14, 2005
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The Miami Coalition to Save Darfur is a project of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation under Chairman Steven J. Brodie. The goal of the Miami Coalition to Save Darfur is to focus energies of the Jewish community against the genocide in Darfur, and to increase Jewish communal involvement in this effort. The Miami Coalition to Save Darfur will provide the resources, advice, and materials to the community in order to have a unified and effective advocacy campaign.
As a member of the Miami Coalition to Save
Darfur, you play a crucial role in bringing the ongoing genocide in Darfur to an end. If you
have not yet joined the Coalition, we urge you to do so by calling the Jewish
Community Relations Council at (305) 576-4000 x486 or by emailing the JCRC at communityrelations@gmjf.org.
The JCRC previously has distributed Darfur Action Memorandums on
education and legislative advocacy. This Darfur Action Memorandum offers further programmatic suggestions
for education and advocacy.
The genocide in Darfur is rarely in the news and many people, elected officials, and journalists know exceedingly little about the crisis. Make sure you read through the background material on the genocide to become more informed.
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Darfur is located in the Western part of Sudan in
western Africa, and is populated by approximately 6 million people. Since
February of 2003, government-backed militias, known as Janjaweed, have been waging a campaign
of murder, rape, starvation and displacement against communities of African
tribal farmers.
These Janjaweed militias have received government
support to clear civilians from areas considered disloyal to the Sudanese
government. Militia attacks and a scorched-earth government offensive has led to
massive displacement, indiscriminate killings, looting and mass rape, all in
infringement of the 1949 Geneva Convention that prohibits attacks on
civilians.
It is estimated that 300,000 to 400,000 people have been killed and over 2 million have been forced to leave their homes. Countless women and children have been raped and beaten. The killing, rape, starvation, and displacement continue today. According to recent reports by the World Food Program, the United Nations, and the Coalition for International Justice, 3.5 million people are now hungry.
The future of Darfur continued to be debated outside its borders this week. In Abuja, Nigeria, the 7th round of peace talks between the Government of Sudan and Darfur rebels continued this week, with one rebel group inviting the UN to take over peacekeeping operations in Darfur, while another demanded a future vice presidency in the Sudanese Unity government. The comments come even as UN special envoy Jan Pronk arrived in Abuja to try to move the process along.
The negotiations are playing out against a backdrop of increased violence in Darfur, including increased attacks on humanitarian aid workers and on women in general. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan went so far as to say that Darfur is in a state of anarchy.
His comments come on the eve of a Joint Assessment Mission to Sudan, in which representatives of the US, UN, EU (European Union) and AU (African Union) will travel to Darfur for 10 days to assess what potential military solutions to the crisis might look like, including the possibility of introducing a UN peacekeeping force some time in 2006.
China: China, which has long-standing financial ties with the Government of Sudan, has further cemented the relationship by increasing their sale of arms, including 34 jet fighters to the Government of Sudan. Regarding U.S. relations with China and its role in Africa, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer said that she was optimistic about cooperation with China elsewhere in Africa, but that the two countries still have disagreements over policy towards Sudan. China is Sudan's largest buyer of oil, and the Sudanese government announced recently that they plan to double their oil output in the coming year, bringing their total production to 1 million barrels per day by the end of 2006. The announcement had to please China, Sudan's largest oil customer, which greeted the good news by reaffirming the ties between the two nations and stating their intention to further a military exchange program already in place.
Click here for more
information about the crisis in Darfur.
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HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS
High school students around the country have carved out a significant role in leading the effort to end the genocide in Darfur. Click here for ideas and resources for high school students (including lesson plans and curriculum).
College students from across the nation have joined
together to take a stand against the genocide in Darfur, and have been raising
relief funds, promoting awareness, and taking political
action.
INCLUDE IN SERVICES Include a sermon, prayer, short discourse, or announcement on the genocide in Darfur in a worship service or other gathering. Plan and host a Shabbat dinner dedicated to the people of Darfur. Talk after the dinner or give a Dvar Torah discussing what is happening in Darfur and how you can help. Resources are available in The Faith Action Packet .
MAOZ TZUR INITIATIVE Chanukah means rededication. By taking simple actions this Chanukah, rededicate yourself to tikkun olam - repairing the world and to the particular moral responsibility we as Jews have to speak out and take action against genocide. Attached is a flier for the Maoz Tzur Initiative.
WRISTBAND CAMPAIGN Wristbands serve as a visible declarations of our desire to bring an end to the violence and atrocities in Darfur. Moreover, the bands further our awareness and education efforts by stimulating conversation on the crisis. Click here to learn how you can order green "Save Darfur - Not on Our Watch wristbands".
WEBLINKS Click here for a list of websites and resources on the genocide in Darfur.
BRING A SPEAKER to your
community who has
been to Sudan or Chad. For a list of suggested
speakers, go to www.savedarfur.org.
MEDIA ADVOCACY - WRITE LETTERS TO THE
EDITOR
Letters to the editor are an important tool in keeping the issue of the
genocide in the news. Letters must include your name,
full address, and daytime telephone number.
Politicians and government agencies routinely clip and circulate letters
to the editor as an indicator of what is important to their constituents.
Tips on generating a Letter to the Editor
Ā If you are writing
in reference to a specific article, make sure to include its title and date of
publication.
Ā If there is a lack
of reporting on the genocide in Sudan, you can point that out in your letter to
the editor.
Ā Keep your letters
brief and concise.
Ā Notify the Jewish
Community Relations Council at (305) 576-4000 x486 or x487 or by email
at communityrelations@gmjf.org that you have sent a letter so that we can gauge the community
response.
The Miami Herald (www.herald.com)
One Herald Plaza
Miami, Florida 33132-1693
E-mail: HeraldEd@herald.com
Fax: (305) 376-8950
LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY
In many instances, advocacy on specific legislation is
time sensitive, so as the situation
progresses, look for legislative updates from the Miami Coalition to Save
Darfur.
PETITION
SIGNING
Collect signatures for a Sudan petition to the attention of the President of the United States. Remember that to be considered legitimate, petitions need to include the names and addresses of the signatories and the petition statement must be printed on the top of every page. Sample petitions are available on the website of the Save Darfur Coalition (www.savedarfur.org).
RESOURCES
The Save Darfur Coalition has updated information and regularly posts
program ideas and resources on its website. Check the website at www.savedarfur.org.
Ā "Crisis In Darfur" Multimedia Resource
(AJWS) - www.ajws.org/darfur
Ā Eyewitness Account:
"In Darfur, My Camera Was Not Enough" (Brian Steidle's photo essay)
www.ushmm.org/conscience/alert/darfur/steidle/
Ā Satellite Imagery
of Destruction in Darfur (USAID)
www.usaid.gov/locations/sub-saharan_africa/sudan/satelliteimages.html
Ā A Promise Unkept
(New York Times)
www.nytimes.com/packages/khtml/2004/10/20/opinion/20041020_DARFUR_FEATURE.html
Ā Fear in Western
Sudan (New York Times)
www.nytimes.com/packages/khtml/2004/09/10/international/20040911_DARFUR_FEATURE.htm
Ā Witnessing Genocide
in Sudan (CBS 60 Minutes)
www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/10/08/60minutes/main648277.shtml
Ā Peace Under Fire
(UN-IRIN) - also available as part of AJWS' "Crisis in Darfur" CD-ROM
www.alertnet.org/thefacts/reliefresources/108504954881.htm
Ā Darfur Destroyed
(Human Rights Watch in collaboration with WITNESS) - also available as part of
AJWS' "Crisis in Darfur" CD-ROM hrw.org/video/2004/sudan
Ā The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum's Committee on Conscience has many resources available, including a DVD available at no cost called "Witnessing Darfur: Genocide Emergency". This DVD contains "My Camera Was Not Enough"; Jerry Fowler, Director of the Committee on Conscience; Darfur: Lives Destroyed - A Physicians for Human Rights production, select images of Darfur and refugees available for public use, and Genocide in Darfur: A Teachers Guide. Additionally, the Committee on Conscience has set up podcasts for anyone with an I-Pod. You can register for the podcasts by clicking here.
o Other resources of the Committee on
Conscience available at www.ushmm.org/darfur-resources