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Dayton stands (and rocks) for Darfur
by Christina Dendy
March 13, 2008

DAYTON, OHIO -- Local activists and citizens gathered at the Pearl Nightclub in downtown Dayton Thursday, March 6, to raise funds for Dayton for Darfur. Dayton for Darfur comprises dozens of members working to raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur and to lobby policy-makers and world leaders to stop the killing and enact a lasting peace agreement guaranteeing civilians’ security and human rights.

The benefit Thursday night featured local performing and visual artists. Mascot, also known as itinerate writer and folk musician Kyle Melton, led off the evening, followed by acoustic guitarist Reggie Stone. Spoken-word artist Dave Nichols seized the stage—everyone’s attention—with his powerful delivery before Indianapolis’s Records Record Records stepped up to rock the house. Dayton’s Miranda Pennington rounded out the night with her beautifully unique and soulful blend of jazz, blues, and folk sounds. The Circus Collective’s Matt James DJed throughout the night, and visual artists Heather Lea Reid, Kidtee Hello, Tara Faith, David Kenworthy, and Crystal Gay displayed paintings and photography. Artisan Lissa Lush contributed artwork and knit caps to sell for donations.

Altogether, the Thursday night event drew about 100 guests and raised nearly $400 after costs. All funds will go to support a rally and march planned for April 19. The rally will convene at Courthouse Square in downtown Dayton at 1 p.m. and will proceed from there to the Convention Center on East Fifth Street. Speakers, including a Darfuri refugee, will explain the genocide in Darfur and report on ongoing developments there. Any funds left over from both events will be donated to the Save Darfur Coalition to support efforts to end the genocide and to Doctors Without Borders to provide ongoing aid to victims of the violence.

Dayton for Darfur sent home literature with attendees as well as pre-stamped postcards to appeal to President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and individual senators to uphold their promises to actively engage in and stop the crisis in Darfur. Attendees also signed petitions to President Bush and to President Hu Jintau of China, the leading economic contributor to Sudan, to address more specific concerns. Literature, petitions, postcards, and letters will be available at the April 19 event as well.

Sudan, the largest country in Africa, has been embroiled in conflict for decades. A tentative peace treaty ended the most recent civil war in 2005; however, that treaty did not extend to all peoples of Sudan. By the time the agreement was reached, fighting had already begun in Darfur, the western region of Sudan, which covers a territory nearly the size of Texas. For the past several years, the government-sponsored Janjaweed militia fighters have been waging war against Darfuri villages. More than 400,000 people—mainly noncombatant villagers—have been killed, and more than 3 million have been displaced.

International aid organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam International, and Save the Children have been working on the ground in Darfur to provide medical assistance, food, clean water, and other support to victims of the genocide. The Save Darfur Coalition and Genocide Intervention Network have been lobbying government and business leaders around the world to pressure the Sudanese government to end the attacks. Targeted divestment is one important campaign conducted by both nonprofits to cut off corporate support for the Sudanese government. Divestment is the withdrawing of monies invested. Only companies connected to the Sudanese government that provide little or no benefit to the civilian population of Darfur are targeted. The Sudanese government depends heavily on foreign investment to stay in power. The target divestment campaign seeks to strip the government, which channels funds and arms to the militia, of that support.

For more information on the upcoming April 19 rally, visit the website of Dayton for Darfur (http://www.daytonfordarfur.org). For more information on the genocide in Darfur and lobbying efforts, such as targeted divestment, visit the websites of the Save Darfur Coalition (http://www.savedarfur.org) and the Genocide Intervention Network (http://www.genocideintervention.net).

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