Darfur Activist Leaders
A forum for leaders of some of the most active Darfur groups around the country to communicate, share ideas and work together. http://www.savedarfur.org/page/group/DarfurActivistLeaders
Hello!
Two pieces of big news.
1. We are close to our April 11th Rally and Vigil. I have enclosed a copy of a print ready flyer for you to post and hand out. If you didn't receive a copy (the SaveDarfur mailer will not support attachments) please e-mail me for one. I would love it if this was a huge event- there are tons of partner events going on all over the country, and it would be great to show that Phoenix is passionate about what is going on in Darfur. You can sign up online for this event at right here at the Phoenix SaveDarfur website.
2. The next meeting will be on Sunday, April 13th at Lux Coffee Bar at 4404 N. Central Ave. Phx.85012 (602) 696-9976. We will be planning future events as well as writing letters to Federal representatives, so if you are interested, please bring stamps and paper.
Two pieces of big news.
1. We are close to our April 11th Rally and Vigil. I have enclosed a copy of a print ready flyer for you to post and hand out. If you didn't receive a copy (the SaveDarfur mailer will not support attachments) please e-mail me for one. I would love it if this was a huge event- there are tons of partner events going on all over the country, and it would be great to show that Phoenix is passionate about what is going on in Darfur. You can sign up online for this event at right here at the Phoenix SaveDarfur website.
2. The next meeting will be on Sunday, April 13th at Lux Coffee Bar at 4404 N. Central Ave. Phx.85012 (602) 696-9976. We will be planning future events as well as writing letters to Federal representatives, so if you are interested, please bring stamps and paper.
Hello Everyone!
This is a long letter, but you should read it anyway, because it is CHOCKFULL of exciting and useful information!!!
A few things were decided at Sundays meeting.
1. We want to have a standard monthly meeting. This will be on a set day, such as the 3rd Wednesday, so that it can be planned for in advance.
-These meetings will be for business, and also to get to know each other. We are going to try to have them in places where we can have drinks and snacks, and be pretty informal.
-They are also going to be a time for action. We will be writing letters or some other concrete piece of action each meeting. That way, we can ensure the group is doing something every month.
-So, drop me a line and let me know if there is a day you would prefer, or a day you can't come. I will condense everything and get back to you. Keep in mind, that I probably can't satisfy everyone, but I will do my best to make it as convenient as possible for as many as possible. We want you to be a part of the group, after all.
2. We will be sending out a bi-monthly newsletter, with additional editions if exciting or important news comes up. Each month we will have a different focus for action, and we will tailor our letter and our group meeting/activity towards that theme. This will give us specific goals, and tasks we can accomplish in a timely manner.
3. I know some of you may be worried about what is going in in Chad, and it most certainly affects the situation in Darfur. The national organization has released a statement, and I am providing you a link to it here:
http://www.savedarfur.org/blog/entries/spilling_into_chad/
4. The ongoing success of the state divestment initiative shows that we can make progress on this complex issue. So, don't be discouraged. Get involved, and we will get it done together.
I look forward to hearing from you, and to working with you even more! I will send out a note next Monday to let you know when the March meeting is scheduled for, and what our monthly action will be.
Thanks so much!
TJ
This is a long letter, but you should read it anyway, because it is CHOCKFULL of exciting and useful information!!!
A few things were decided at Sundays meeting.
1. We want to have a standard monthly meeting. This will be on a set day, such as the 3rd Wednesday, so that it can be planned for in advance.
-These meetings will be for business, and also to get to know each other. We are going to try to have them in places where we can have drinks and snacks, and be pretty informal.
-They are also going to be a time for action. We will be writing letters or some other concrete piece of action each meeting. That way, we can ensure the group is doing something every month.
-So, drop me a line and let me know if there is a day you would prefer, or a day you can't come. I will condense everything and get back to you. Keep in mind, that I probably can't satisfy everyone, but I will do my best to make it as convenient as possible for as many as possible. We want you to be a part of the group, after all.
2. We will be sending out a bi-monthly newsletter, with additional editions if exciting or important news comes up. Each month we will have a different focus for action, and we will tailor our letter and our group meeting/activity towards that theme. This will give us specific goals, and tasks we can accomplish in a timely manner.
3. I know some of you may be worried about what is going in in Chad, and it most certainly affects the situation in Darfur. The national organization has released a statement, and I am providing you a link to it here:
http://www.savedarfur.org/blog/entries/spilling_into_chad/
4. The ongoing success of the state divestment initiative shows that we can make progress on this complex issue. So, don't be discouraged. Get involved, and we will get it done together.
I look forward to hearing from you, and to working with you even more! I will send out a note next Monday to let you know when the March meeting is scheduled for, and what our monthly action will be.
Thanks so much!
TJ
We have hearing times for both bills!!
* HB2705 will be heard at 1:30pm on Monday, February 11th. The committee is meeting in House Hearing Room 5. You can request to speak online for this bill right now.
* SB1366 will be heard at 9am on Wednesday, February 13th. The committee is meeting in Senate Hearing Room 3. You should be able to request to speak on this bill tomorrow.
Please come to the capital to show your support! Whether you come down or not, please log on to http://alistrack.azleg.gov/rts/login.asp to make your voice heard. Rep. Sinema has worked so hard to get this bill passed- lets show our support.
Please e-mail me if you plan to come to either or both hearing.
Also, if you could e-mail me when you do your request to speak- I'd like to keep track of our participation.
Thanks so much!! We are close to real change...let's get there!!
TJ
* HB2705 will be heard at 1:30pm on Monday, February 11th. The committee is meeting in House Hearing Room 5. You can request to speak online for this bill right now.
* SB1366 will be heard at 9am on Wednesday, February 13th. The committee is meeting in Senate Hearing Room 3. You should be able to request to speak on this bill tomorrow.
Please come to the capital to show your support! Whether you come down or not, please log on to http://alistrack.azleg.gov/rts/login.asp to make your voice heard. Rep. Sinema has worked so hard to get this bill passed- lets show our support.
Please e-mail me if you plan to come to either or both hearing.
Also, if you could e-mail me when you do your request to speak- I'd like to keep track of our participation.
Thanks so much!! We are close to real change...let's get there!!
TJ
ood news!!
The bill Rep. Sinema has drafted to divest Arizona's state retirement funds from companies that are supporting the genocide in Sudan has been finalized! There are several Republican Representatives (Eddie Farnsworth, Andy Biggs, Mark Anderson, Andy Tobin, and Michele Reagan) who have already signed on, and there could be even more sponsors!
The bills should be introduced in both the House and the Senate this week.
In the House, Rep. Marion McClure has agreed to give the bill a hearing in the Public Institutions and Retirement Community. This will be in two to three weeks, and mostly likely on a Monday.
We will continue to keep you updated-
Thanks for helping to make a difference!
TJ Houle,
Phoenix SaveDarfur
The bill Rep. Sinema has drafted to divest Arizona's state retirement funds from companies that are supporting the genocide in Sudan has been finalized! There are several Republican Representatives (Eddie Farnsworth, Andy Biggs, Mark Anderson, Andy Tobin, and Michele Reagan) who have already signed on, and there could be even more sponsors!
The bills should be introduced in both the House and the Senate this week.
In the House, Rep. Marion McClure has agreed to give the bill a hearing in the Public Institutions and Retirement Community. This will be in two to three weeks, and mostly likely on a Monday.
We will continue to keep you updated-
Thanks for helping to make a difference!
TJ Houle,
Phoenix SaveDarfur
The event started with a really great routine from the Jessie White Tumblers--they fly high! And IL Secretary of State Jessie White himself was there, in a jump suit, starting the whole event off with a heartfelt message of peace and the power of youth and individual citizens to make a difference.
We had really great speakers from communities affected by genocide, including Holocaust, Armenian, Cambodian, Bosnia, & Southern Sudan with Luol Deng of the Chicago Bulls. His presence drew in a lot of media. Here's a radio story & see below for more links (http://podcast.wbbm780.com/wbbm/725950.mp3).
We had a very moving speaker from Darfur, Fatima Haroun, who has spoken at other rallies on the east coast. State elected officials were on hand, including the author of the IL divestment law, Senator Jacqueline Collins, and her colleague in the House, IL Rep. Greg Harris, who shared a portion of a message from Senator Durbin, who could not be with us because he was going to Sudan! Ben Prochazka from national Save Darfur HQ in DC came and offered his "Why China & What To Do" message.
We had an Olympic Torch Procession, with Luol Deng holding the torch at the start of the procession and the other speakers following, surrounded by children holding colorful flags, evoking the colorful garments of the women of Darfur. When the procession returned to the stage, Deng handed the torch off. As each of the speakers addressed the crowd, a refugee from Darfur or Southern Sudan stood with her/him and held the torch. Deng was the last speaker. He did not introduce himself as a basketball player but as a fellow refugee. He handed the torch to Mohamed Abdelrhman Kauda, the President of the IL Darfur Association, who accepted it and thanked the community for their support.
Our own Steve Dishler closed the ceremony with words from US politician Edward Everett: "I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do. And by the grace of God, I will."
We had great music by recently signed artists Trevor Menear and his band. He did a cut for "Instant Karma" called "John Sinclair." (Check him out on myspace or itunes or youtube.) We handed out his CD sampler, got over 200 signatures on letters to Hu Jintao, got signatures on our banner that will be in DC for the final leg of the torch relay, Instant Karma posters, Human Rights Watch info sheets, Team Darfur sweatbands, official event t-shirts, etc., and collected lots of donations (an unintended result of the giveaways).
It was great to have the crowd lining up for ice cream, signing and collecting stuff all at once while the Trevor Menear band played a rockin' set. It felt festive and hopeful.
ADDITIONAL MEDIA COVERAGE
Here are some of the news reports that mentioned the Chicago event(though I could not find our own NBC-5 coverage). The use of the wire services really helped & the presence of Luol Deng made the story spread across the country.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2007-10-22-notes_N.htm
http://www.wgnradio.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37327&Itemid=49
http://www.morrisdailyherald.com/articles/2007/10/22/state_news/751zdarfur.txt
http://www.wnct.com/midatlantic/nct/sports.apx.-content-articles-NCT-2007-10-21-0014.html
http://podcast.wbbm780.com/wbbm/725950.mp3
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-22rowboldnamesoct22,1,5164877.story
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/sports/20071022_Deng_and_Darfur.html
http://www.juf.org/news/local.aspx?id=27562
We had really great speakers from communities affected by genocide, including Holocaust, Armenian, Cambodian, Bosnia, & Southern Sudan with Luol Deng of the Chicago Bulls. His presence drew in a lot of media. Here's a radio story & see below for more links (http://podcast.wbbm780.com/wbbm/725950.mp3).
We had a very moving speaker from Darfur, Fatima Haroun, who has spoken at other rallies on the east coast. State elected officials were on hand, including the author of the IL divestment law, Senator Jacqueline Collins, and her colleague in the House, IL Rep. Greg Harris, who shared a portion of a message from Senator Durbin, who could not be with us because he was going to Sudan! Ben Prochazka from national Save Darfur HQ in DC came and offered his "Why China & What To Do" message.
We had an Olympic Torch Procession, with Luol Deng holding the torch at the start of the procession and the other speakers following, surrounded by children holding colorful flags, evoking the colorful garments of the women of Darfur. When the procession returned to the stage, Deng handed the torch off. As each of the speakers addressed the crowd, a refugee from Darfur or Southern Sudan stood with her/him and held the torch. Deng was the last speaker. He did not introduce himself as a basketball player but as a fellow refugee. He handed the torch to Mohamed Abdelrhman Kauda, the President of the IL Darfur Association, who accepted it and thanked the community for their support.
Our own Steve Dishler closed the ceremony with words from US politician Edward Everett: "I am only one, but I am one. I can't do everything, but I can do something. The something I ought to do, I can do. And by the grace of God, I will."
We had great music by recently signed artists Trevor Menear and his band. He did a cut for "Instant Karma" called "John Sinclair." (Check him out on myspace or itunes or youtube.) We handed out his CD sampler, got over 200 signatures on letters to Hu Jintao, got signatures on our banner that will be in DC for the final leg of the torch relay, Instant Karma posters, Human Rights Watch info sheets, Team Darfur sweatbands, official event t-shirts, etc., and collected lots of donations (an unintended result of the giveaways).
It was great to have the crowd lining up for ice cream, signing and collecting stuff all at once while the Trevor Menear band played a rockin' set. It felt festive and hopeful.
ADDITIONAL MEDIA COVERAGE
Here are some of the news reports that mentioned the Chicago event(though I could not find our own NBC-5 coverage). The use of the wire services really helped & the presence of Luol Deng made the story spread across the country.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2007-10-22-notes_N.htm
http://www.wgnradio.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37327&Itemid=49
http://www.morrisdailyherald.com/articles/2007/10/22/state_news/751zdarfur.txt
http://www.wnct.com/midatlantic/nct/sports.apx.-content-articles-NCT-2007-10-21-0014.html
http://podcast.wbbm780.com/wbbm/725950.mp3
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-22rowboldnamesoct22,1,5164877.story
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/sports/20071022_Deng_and_Darfur.html
http://www.juf.org/news/local.aspx?id=27562
Here is the beginnings of a a list of the current activist campaigns going on around the country. This is an attempt to gather all this info together in one place.
I want to add others to this list! Email me at coby@savedarfur.org with the name of a Darfur campaign, a brief description and a link (or contact info) for people who want more information.
Thanks
-Coby
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