A group of Eastern Michigan University staff and students
can no longer sit back and watch genocide happen in Sudan.
As a result, a new campus organization is taking a STAND.
Students Taking Action Now for Darfur (STAND) is a national
student-run organization dedicated to ending the genocide
in Sudan. This year marks the EMU chapter's first as an
official student organization.
To kick off the occasion, EMU's STAND plans to educate
the campus community about the genocide in Darfur through
a series of events, including a film screening of "Hotel
Rwanda" and "Darfur
21 st Genocide" Sept. 13, noon-2 p.m. and 7-9 p.m., in
Halle Library; and an exhibition of drawings by children
in Darfur refugee camps, Sept. 25-Oct. 1, also in Halle
Library.
 |
TAKE A STAND: Eastern
Michigan University's
chapter of
Students Taking Action Now for
Darfur
(STAND) recently
became an official student
organization. |
"I feel others must get involved. If people would have
let their government know that Rwanda, Cambodia and Bosnia
mattered, then the government might have acted more forcefully
and with more authority," said Ginny Mitchell, president
of STAND at EMU. "If people are only concerned with JonBenet
Ramsey's death or with what Britney Spears is up to, then
we get a government that only acts when a business interest
is at stake."
Currently, STAND consists of approximately 10 students
and a few staff members. Together they are working to inform
the campus community about the situation, and to encouraging
legislation that can help stop the violence.
"It's encouraging to see students of a wide variety of
political views concerned about the apathy of this genocide," said
Steven Mucher, STAND's faculty adviser.
Conflict in Sudan has been building since the 1980s. According
to STAND, before fighting began in 2003, Darfur's population
was around 6 million to 7 million, with a 3-2 ratio of
ethnic-Africans to ethnic-Arabs. For the most part,
the African Darfurians are farmers and the Arab Darfurians
are herders. Clashes between the two groups began as territory
disputes, as the herds moved further south, encroaching
on the farmer's land.
As many Arabs from the region were recruited to the janjaweed,
a militia group backed by the Arab government, the conflict
between the two ethnic groups grew. The government and
the janjaweed were fighting a civil war in the south. As
concessions were made to end the war, the mostly ethnic
African tribes in the South gained some rights, economic
shares and political power. The Africans in Darfur, however,
were ignored.
"Darfur has historically been an ignored region," said
Mitchell. "They don't have enough schools and they've been
left out of agricultural and industrial development."
The tension between the people of Darfur and the government
of Sudan peaked in February 2003, when rebel African groups
staged an attack on the government. The government and
janjaweed counteroffensive attacked not only the rebels,
but also civilians in Darfur. The United Nations estimates
that more than 400,000 have been killed since the attacks
began, and more than 2.5 million have been displaced. Women
and children are raped and beaten, and aid is prevented
from reaching the area.
"STAND is trying to put political pressure on representatives,
through a grassroots movement, to establish a peacekeeping
force that can protect civilians and actually stop violent
acts," said Mitchell.
Currently, African Union troops are in the area, attempting
to keep the peace. Unfortunately, according to Mitchell,
the troops are underfunded and don't have the power to
stop the janjaweed.
"The African Union has 7,000 troops covering an area bigger
than Texas," said Mitchell.
STAND's goal is a peacekeeping force led by NATO member
states. According to STAND's Web site, this force must
have at least 15,000 troops, a robust mandate to protect
civilians, and leadership and significant participation
from NATO member countries that have the military capabilities
to effectively protect civilians.
"It's not that they're [our government] doing nothing,
they're just not doing enough," said Mitchell. "Our leaders
are responsive. They just need prodding. Grassroot movements
can change the world."
One of the ways STAND is prodding political leaders is
through a divestment campaign. Divestment is the removal
of invested money from companies that help the Sudanese
government. As demand for these companies' stocks fall,
the price of shares decline. The idea is that either Sudan
will change its behavior to keep businesses in the country,
or the businesses will leave and Sudan won't have the money
to buy military equipment.
STAND is working with the Sudan Divestment Task Force
on this project. They are careful to choose only companies
that provide revenue or arms to the government, and provide
little benefit to the country's underprivileged. Companies
that supply agricultural equipment, consumer goods, health,
education, welfare or religious activities are not included
in the divestment.
Mitchell met with Michigan Representative Alma Wheeler-Smith
(D-Salem) in August to discuss a plan to divest Michigan
funds from holdings in companies that do business with
the Sudanese government. Once Wheeler-Smith drafts the
bill, STAND will work on introducing it in a bipartisan
manner to the state Senate and House.
Mitchell, a history/social studies secondary education
major, also is planning a traveling genocide exhibit for
schools, to reach students at both the high school and
middle school levels.
"I went to the Holocaust Museum once and it challenged
me to really ask myself, 'If I had been alive during that
time, would I have taken action?' How could so many people
do nothing?" said Mitchell. "I have two children and I
really, truly believe that when they look back on this,
they are going to want to know why it occurred and they
are going to want to know that I didn't sit by in complicity."
Any staff or students interested in helping STAND, please
e-mail Mitchell at ginnymitchell1@hotmail.com
