NEWSBYKATIE-JAY SCOTT

Grassroots groups and Darfuris across the nation have joined together to say: No support for sham elections in Sudan! Beginning February 20th, for the 50 days leading up to the April 2010 election, regular citizens in every state will take targeted and effective action to say that they do not support elections that will legitimize an indicted war criminal.

The elections will not be fair and free. They will be a sham. Omar al-Bashir took control of Sudan 20 years ago by military coup and has brutally ruled the country since. Al-Bashir is a wanted war criminal by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Darfur. The U.S. has declared his government’s supported atrocities in Darfur genocide.

Under the current climate of violence and political intimidation, the Sudanese elections (scheduled for April 11, 2010) will be anything but free and fair. With insecurity continuing in Darfur and violence mounting in the South, fraudulent elections in April could be a dangerous flashpoint for Sudan. Darfuris living in IDP and refugee camps and the Diaspora are boycotting upcoming elections. These elections will do nothing but legitimize the engineers of the first genocide in the 21st century.

Today marks the 100th day of the Obama Administration’s leadership in Washington. It is also Day 1,691 of inadequate action since the United States called Darfur genocide (September 9, 2004). And Day 53 since an arrest warrant was issued for the President of Sudan and essential aid agencies were expelled from the region (March 4th, 2009).

It is Day 1 of Darfur Fast for Life.

Today Mia Farrow will begin a water only fast to stand in solidarity with the people of Darfur and as a personal expression of outrage at a world that has watched so many innocent men, women, and children needlessly die of starvation, thirst and disease. On this first day, more than 60 Darfur advocates from around the world will support Mia by fasting water-only or by eating refugee rations. In the days to come, more will join. Mia intends to go for 21 days on nothing but water, and when she can not continue any longer, she prays that another and then another will take over for her.

Another great post from Katie-Jay  --- who will soon depart with the i-Act team for their seventh trip to Darfur refugee settlements

If I have learned anything since that first encounter with the Darfur movement and Ruth Messinger, it is that morality will not move our leaders to action. It must be the people, us – you and me – telling them that the issue of Genocide, is so important to our survival as humanity, that they will pay politically if they do not act. This from Samantha Power's "A Problem from Hell” before the Darfur genocide began:

Many will try to say that we have succeeded in some way, through little steps, in our movement to end a genocide while it is still happening. But in the last week, we have failed the millions who are still inside of Darfur. The thousands who have no food and no water, today. This is not to say there is no hope, but rather it is a serious call to action. As ENOUGH put it, WANTED: New Recruits and Renewed Energy to move our leaders to Action for Darfur.

Here is the first installment of a two-part guest post by  super-activist Katie-Jay Scott, who will soon depart with the i-Act team for their seventh trip to Darfur refugee settlements. Read on for Katie-Jay's story on how she became an anti-genocide activist, and visit i-Act's website to find out how you can get involved.

I wish I could tell you that I started my Darfur activism for my friends Adam, Mansur, Fatna, and Selma, who are now like the brothers and sisters I never had. But I didn’t know them in March 2005 when I was a student and so deeply struck by a single photo taken by a short, loud, and very direct Ruth Messinger. “Isn’t it cute that they have red hair? They have red hair because they are malnourished. “

It may be cliché, but when Ruth’s words bellowed through the room with such authority and intent to make us act for Darfur, it was then I remembered the feelings that rushed through me the summer before my freshman year of high school in Amsterdam with my soccer team. I told myself, “if I had been alive, I would have done something to help.”

The bags of green wristbands were passed around and I didn’t even have a dollar. My friend Brian paid for my first one. And it was then that I began my journey as an anti-genocide activist. I’ve worn many wristbands since, and always two. One to give to away when someone inquires about Darfur – most recently at the Redondo Beach Public Library.