Mass. Couple Named 'Darfur Heroes' for Compiling Anthology of Essays to Benefit Darfur Advocacy

Mass. Couple Named 'Darfur Heroes' for Compiling Anthology of Essays to Benefit Darfur Advocacy

Anthology features Pulitzer Prize winning authors, Nobel laureate

WASHINGTON – The Save Darfur Coalition today honored Marlborough, Mass. couple Jennifer and Luke Reynolds as its February "Darfur Heroes" for their creative awareness and fundraising techniques to help end the Darfur genocide. This fall, their anthology of essays titled Dedicated to the People of Darfur: Writings on Fear, Risk and Hope will be published by Rutgers University Press - with the advance and all royalties benefiting the work of the coalition.

The Heroes program, started by the coalition in 2007, highlights individuals and groups who play a crucial role in helping end the violence in Darfur through awareness-raising and other efforts.

The Reynolds developed the idea for the anthology as graduate students in communications and English after being regularly confronted with news about the ongoing atrocities in Darfur. Their hope was to design a work centered around the theme of taking risks in personal and social situations to foster change and growth. After creating a proposal and inviting authors to contribute, they were overwhelmed by the positive response. Dedicated to the People of Darfur now features more than 40 authors, including Pulitzer Prize winners Jane Smiley, Frank McCourt and James McPherson and Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer.

"This past fall, during the final stages of the anthology, we welcomed our first child into the world. The fact that his arrival dovetailed the completion of this project was poignant for us in that we have the luxury of raising our child in relative prosperity and peace while many children of Darfur live in fear and poverty," the Reynolds wrote. "Of all the things we teach our son, we want one thing to stick out above the rest: those who have been blessed with much have much to give."

The full text of the Reynolds's blog can be found here: http://blogfordarfur.org/2009/02/04/darfur-heroes-compile-anthology-of-essays-to-benefit-darfur-advocacy/.

"The coalition is so appreciative of Luke and Jennifer's generosity of their time and talent," said coalition spokesperson Ashley Roberts. "They created a lasting work that is a testament to the broad array of individuals working to help achieve sustainable peace for the Darfuri people."

Darfur Heroes will feature one outstanding activist's story each month - through a blog featured on Save Darfur's website - not just to recognize those individuals who have helped build the movement, but also to inspire others with unique awareness and fundraising tactics. Previous Darfur Heroes have included "Big Kenny" Alphin of the country music duo Big & Rich, Miriam and Jacob Hodesh - who deleted their wedding registry and instead asked friends and family to make donations to help end the Darfur genocide, and Christy Anderson - daughter of Salt-N-Pepa's DJ Spinderella who was featured on MTV's ‘My Super Sweet 16' and asked party guests to donate to Save Darfur.

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About the coalition - The Save Darfur Coalition - an alliance of 180 faith-based, advocacy and human rights organizations - raises public awareness about the ongoing genocide in Darfur and mobilizes a unified response to the atrocities that threaten the lives of people throughout the Darfur region. The coalition's member organizations represent 130 million people of all ages, races, religions and political affiliations united together to help the people of Darfur. For more information on the coalition, please visit www.SaveDarfur.org. To obtain footage from the Darfur border region, coalition events, various interviews, and more, please visit the Save Darfur Coalition media gallery at http://media.savedarfur.org. All footage may be previewed in non-broadcast quality and may be purchased in broadcast quality by filling out the purchase request form provided on the site.