Previous Initiatives

Million Voices for Darfur

The Save Darfur Coalition launched the "Million Voices for Darfur" campaign on January 22, 2006, the 55^th anniversary of the ratification of the U.N.'s Convention on Genocide.  The national effort sought to deliver one million hand-written and electronic postcards from Americans to President Bush demanding that he support a stronger multinational force to protect the people of Darfur. 

A diverse array of Americans participated in the campaign. Postcards were collected from every state in the union and activists gathered signatures at small-town community fairs, large-scale urban rallies, religious services, and classroom presentations. While the sources of these postcards were as disparate as the people signing them, all spoke out with a single voice demanding that President Bush take the actions necessary to end the genocide.  On June 29, 2006, the millionth postcard was signed by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D. (R-TN) and Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), just six months after the launch of the campaign.

At the signing, Rev. Gloria E. White-Hammond, M.D., chairwoman of the Save Darfur Coalition's Million Voices for Darfur campaign, noted, "A million Americans have joined us in declaring ‘Not On Our Watch.' It is imperative the President understand what these million Americans do: a United Nations peacekeeping force will be the only true protection for the refugees of Darfur."

Save Darfur: Rally to Stop Genocide

On April 30^th, 2006, the Coalition organized the "Save Darfur: Rally to Stop Genocide" on the National Mall and encouraged grassroots activists to hold rallies in communities around the country.  Nearly 50,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C., to hear from leading voices in the effort to stop the genocide in Darfur, including a broad spectrum of prominent faith leaders, political figures, human rights activists, celebrities, and survivors of other genocides.  There was extensive television coverage, with more than 800 stories broadcast in the U.S. and Canada.  Articles about the rally were published in newspapers that reached a world-wide readership of an estimated 31 million people. 

Tour for Darfur - Eyewitness to Genocide

Former Marine Captain Brian Steidle, an observer to the African Union peacekeeping forces stationed in the Darfur region, toured the U.S. in the spring of 2006 telling the story, in words and pictures, of the immense security and humanitarian needs in Darfur and guiding Americans on how to take action to help bring an end to this crisis.  The tour covered 21,000 miles and 20 different locations, serving as a crucial mechanism for grassroots mobilization in support of the Million Voices for Darfur Campaign and the Rally to Stop Genocide.