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Thursday, June 23, 2005

Assist US Sudanese refugees.

A few years ago, my friend, Nana, and I went to hear a presentation by four Sudanese men at my church. They, and certain other Sudanese refugees, are often referred to as "Lost Boys of Sudan". But as one of the men said, "We are neither 'lost' nor 'boys'".

The men spoke eloquently about their lives in Sudan as dark-skinned Africans and as Christians. They talked about their journey to the US and their lives in Clarkston, a town near my church and where I live. And they shared their their dreams for their own lives and for the future of Sudan.

Some of the men and women of Sudan who live in the US may well want to return to Sudan to help create a stable and just society there. You can help ensure a good future for these people and for Sudan by supporting education, resettlement and other efforts for the 4000 Sudanese refugees who now live in 28 US states.

June 20th was World Refugee Day. You can help Sudanese and other refugees by choosing one of these organizations to support with your time, money or other resources:

International Rescue Committee
Sudanese Assistance Fund
Atlanta Resettlement Office.
Kensington Office Park, 4151 Memorial Drive
Suite 201C
Atlanta, Georgia 30032

US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
1717 Massachusetts Ave. NW, 2nd Fl,
Washington, DC 20036-2003
Phone (202)347-3507
Fax (202)347-3418

You can also contact your state refugee coordinator to ask how you can help. And don't forget about the other steps, including letter-writing, divestment, and education, you can take to help end the genocide in Sudan. We are not helpless. We can make a difference.

"No one can demand that you be neutral toward the crime of genocide. If … there is a judge in the whole world who can be neutral toward this crime, that judge is not fit to sit in judgment." - Gideon Hausner, while defending legality of trial of war criminal Adolf Eichmann

1 comment:

Karama said...

Here are more ways you can help:

* Write a letter of concern to the media or your elected officials.
* Support relief organizations that are working to ease the suffering in Sudan.
* Assist Sudanese refugees in the US and elsewhere.
* Learn more about what's happening in Sudan.
* Divest from the Khartoum government.

Other suggestions? Bring 'em on!