Students Gather Outside SUB I in the Rally for Darfur
Broadside Staff Reporter Noon Salih

The lively beat of the African drum and an audience chanting “Peace in Darfur! Peace in Darfur!” could be heard echoing throughout campus Thursday morning. Students, faculty and staff assembled for the Rally for Darfur gathering in the Quad. The event was hosted by George Mason University students as a part of their senior project.

“My goal is to raise awareness of what is going on,” said Trisha Spurio, senior Social Work major. “I meet too many people that aren’t aware.  Time ran out a long time ago for the people of Darfur. We need to do something.”

Spurio, who lead the group in creating this event, was joined by approximately 25 other seniors majoring in Social Work to develop this idea as their required senior project.

“They pulled this thing together,” said Dr. Molly Davis, director of BSW Field Education. “Since last semester they planned all aspects of the project, collaborating with the Save Darfur Coalition.”

Working with the Coalition, the group was able to feature various performers including internationally acclaimed African Dance Performer, Kukuwa Naumah, who danced alongside Mason students. Prominent activists also spoke out on Darfur, a country that suffers what is now labeled by various entities as genocide. 

Joe Madison, a top talk radio personality known as “The Black Eagle” by his Washington D.C. Radio-One listeners, said that the way to end the genocide is to divest all U.S. endorsements doing any business in Sudan.

“Genocide is an action word. Once it is declared, the government must do something to end it.  It is more than just a declaration.  The ending of genocide isn’t charity – it is justice.  All the people of Sudan want is justice,” said Madison.

Madison is committed,. He leads many demonstrations and has been arrested more then once. He has led a protest in front of the Sudanese Embassy for 90 straight days to end the genocide in Darfur.

Elnour Adam, Director of the Darfur Rehabilitation Project, a non-profit organized by Darfurian refugees, said it is his second visit to Mason on the issue of Darfur.

“Politicians don’t hear the helpless voices of the people,” said Adam. “These events push the influence of decision-makers to take strong action to end the genocide and atrocities of the Sudanese government.”       

Another radio personality, EZ Street, featured on WPGC 93.9FM, reached out to Mason students at the rally.

“Traditionally most major movements have all started on college campuses,” he said. “It is an extremely important place to get issues out; it is very important to the fabric of America.”

EZ Street said that it is disheartening that the President of the United States is not taking action against the atrocities in the region.

“The value of black life in people’s lives is less,” said EZ Street. “It is a sad mentality to have, but people don’t value African life.”

Representatives from the Save Darfur Coalition urged students to get involved in efforts to help stop the violence.

“Enough rhetoric,” said Coby Rudolph, from the Save Darfur Coalition. “It is time for action.”

The Situation in Darfur

Since early 2003, Sudanese armed forces and government-backed militia known as “Janjaweed” have been fighting rebel groups in Darfur.

At least 400,000 people have been killed

More than 2 million civilians have been forced to flee their homes and move to displaced-persons or refugee camps in Sudan or neighboring Chad

More than 3.5 million men, women, and children are completely reliant on

international aid for survival

Statistics from savedarfur.org