Have you heard?, Or do you know? Options

[innovation]

Because I live near the nation's capital (aka center of politics), I believe I've acquired a distorted view of the American public. The genocide in Darfur has been a huge issue at my school this year; 4 organizations have campaigned, lobbied, and fundraised for it. Thus, I've been convinced that this issue is well-known and was shocked to find that there has not been enough public support.

Here's a brief description of the Darfur crisis, obtained from the USHMM's Committee on Conscience website:

Tens of thousands of civilians have been murdered and thousands of women raped in Sudan’s western region of Darfur by Sudanese government soldiers and members of the government-supported militia sometimes referred to as the Janjaweed. About 2 million civilians have been driven from their homes, their villages torched and their property stolen by the Sudanese military and the Janjaweed. Some of the victims have escaped to neighboring country of Chad, but most are trapped inside Darfur. Thousands die each month from the effects of inadequate food, water, health care, and shelter in a harsh desert environment. All are afraid to return home because the countryside is not safe.

The United States government has declared this humanitarian crisis a genocide but not nearly enough action has been taken. The Darfur Peace and Accountability Act was recently passed in the U.S. Senate and is now being decided upon in the House of Representatives.

PM me if you're interested in campaigning at your school (hey, always good to start something; plus, I have tons of resources) or if you want to take individual action. (Can't post anything else here-- danger of "advertising", I suppose.)

edit: It seems that people are just reading and not responding, so here are some pictures to catch your attention. (Please don't move this to pictures.)