Students rally to help end genocide in Darfur
By Rachel Schwartz
Santa Clara students joined with thousands of marchers in San Francisco as part of a Day of Consciousness for genocide in Darfur.
About 40 members of the Santa Clara chapter of Students Taking Action Now: Darfur were among the over 4,500 people that participated in the San Francisco on Sunday in part of the Day of Consciousness for Darfur, a nationwide event that involved rallies in over a dozen cities across the country.
"I hope that today will bring attention to the cause and awaken people from apathy," freshman Annie Rovzar said.
Activists in matching "End the Darfur Genocide" T-shirts strolled across the bridge as passing drivers honked their horns and flashed the peace sign out of their windows. At 10:45 a.m., participants of all age joined hands to form a human chain that spanned the length of the bridge and observed a moment of silence for those Sudanese murdered and displaced by the violence in the Darfur region.
"I think there is power in being with this many people and having our thoughts united," Campus Minister Matt Smith said. "When I was standing there, I felt tingles."
Sunday's events were the culmination of months of planning by the Stanford University STAND chapter, the San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition, Dear Sudan as well as Santa Clara STAND leaders. STAND was able to bring other Santa Clara students to the event as well.
"We have a coalition of people that isn't dominated by one group; I enjoy the diversity of the people we have here," freshman Nick Obradovich said.
Freshman STAND member and event organizer Lindsey Dunn has been interested in the region since working in Sudan and Chad with AIDS clinic organization Project HOPE as a high school student.
"This rally is going to gain a lot of national attention which should inspire our people and government to take more action," Dunn said.
The vigil on the bridge was followed by a rally at Crissy Field.
"The time on the bridge was more reflective and the rally is to really fire people up," junior Brigid Eckhart said.
The afternoon was highlighted by speeches from religious leaders and politicians punctuated by chanting and sign waving. Speakers called for Americans to take action against the genocide by raising awareness and demanding government involvement.
"If the U.S. stands silent, we're complicit ," Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey said after her speech.
Over 400,000 Sudanese have been murdered and another 2.5 million have been displaced by the violence into refugee camps.
Obradovich founded the Santa Clara STAND chapter in January and the group has been working to bring the genocide in Darfur to the forefront of their classmates' attention.
One of the group's goals was that if any Santa Clara student was to be asked about Darfur, he or she would know what was happening, a goal they feel close to reaching.
In recent months STAND members have educated fellow students about Darfur by passing out flyers, hosting events such as an April die-in involving 50 students on the Santa Clara Mall representing victims of conflict and sponsoring the screening of a documentary "Invisible Children" last month.
STAND is dominated by freshmen who have worked to bring Darfur into the Santa Clara consciousness.
"There's a lot of passion and idealism from the people in STAND; we're very new and so hopeful," Rovzar said. "We really believe that we can change things."
The group hopes to turn their focus from education to political advocacy through meetings with local elected officials.
"I love seeing so many people from so many areas coming together for a cause," Dunn said as she sat in the grass listening to an a cappella group sing native African songs. "Now that we have enough people aware we'll be able to take drastic action and get the changes we want."
Contact Rachel Schwartz at (408) 554-4546 or rschwartz@scu.edu.