The Darfur Survival Campaign
Thousands Rally for Darfur in Boston and Worldwide
To mark the tragic fourth anniversary of the beginning of the genocide in Darfur, activists in 30 countries organized rallies, protects and vigils during the last week of April. The theme of the events, “Time is Running Out” (to get a strong international force to protect the people in Darfur), was symbolized by hourglasses filled with red sand, and clock faces. There were more than 350 events in the United States alone – with events in nearly every state.
One of the biggest events took place in Boston, Massachusetts, where nearly 2,000 people gathered on the Boston Common for a ‘die-in’ to symbolize the loss of more than 400,000 lives in Sudan’s Darfur region. Physicians for Human Rights’ Deputy Director, Susannah Sirkin, made an impassioned speech, praising the activists for their pressure and noting their accomplishments. She also pushed them not to be complacent – to keep working to end the violence in Darfur.
Sabina Carlson, a PHR intern, was one of the event’s organizers, as was Jirair Ratevosian, one of the founders of the Boston University Chapter of Physicians for Human Rights (PHR). The BU PHR Chapter contributed to the rally with a striking photography display and a bustling table featuring actions and educational materials for event participants.
Meanwhile, at Lafayette Park in Washington, DC a separate event drew 700 people. PHR’s Director of Policy, John Bradshaw, addressed the crowd, speaking to them about PHR’s Sudanese partners - Muslims and Christians, Arabs and non-Arabs, women and men – who work to provide relief and services to the people of Darfur. He related that these doctors, lawyers and social workers have been harassed, imprisoned or intimidated by the Government, but that has not kept them from continuing to help.
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