The seven leaders of the University of Wisconsin group Action in Sudan set out on the road — literally — to end genocide in Darfur Thursday night as they traveled to a national conference on the topic in Washington.
“Our group has been working very hard for a very long time to bring about change in Sudan, and it is good to know that people will be there who have the same … motivation as us,” said Action in Sudan officer and UW junior Jacob Kushner. “It’s good to know that other people care.”
Hosted by Students Taking Action Now Darfur,the conference runs until Sunday and includes speeches, rallies and other educational sessions. Groups from high schools and colleges across the country are expected to attend.
STAND is the student-led division of the Genocide Intervention Network, a group that provides people with tools to fight genocide on a global scale. STAND focuses on empowering students specifically and hosts the annual conference to connect the student network they have created.
“I’m hoping to be able to meet with people across the country who are doing similar things,” said UW junior and Action in Sudan officer Hannah Cutts. “It’s nice to know that we are not the only group out there doing this. There are student groups across the country fighting for the same thing.”
She added the 17-hour drive time should allow for some “really intense bonding time.”
Action in Sudan is a student organization devoted to bringing an end to the genocide occurring in Darfur. According to Kushner, the group’s main points of focus on campus are amnesty and awareness.
“If you say Darfur to someone, people know what you are talking about,” Kushner said. “That is a big step because two years ago that wasn’t true. The fact remains that genocide is still occurring in Darfur, and the hope we have is to bring an end to it as quickly as possible.”
Kushner said the conference is important to him because genocide in Darfur is “the most serious humanitarian crisis occurring in the world today,” but also said the event would have big benefits for Action in Sudan as an organization.
“I think it will be very effective for us to become involved,” he said. “We’ve been focused locally which I think is a good strategy … but I think there is something to be said of being a part of a national movement. It would take that kind of collaboration to bring about political change.”
Cutts expects to learn a lot at the conference, and she hopes the group will be able to form a more cohesive plan of action.
She challenged students to step up and make their voices heard on the issues.
“The fact that there is a genocide going on is ridiculous,” Cutts said. “We’ve said never again so many times, but it is still happening. We’ve got to start working for a solution and prevention plan. … We’ve got to make change for ourselves.”
