Posts by Katie-Jay Scott
Darfur Fast for Life
Published April 27, 2009 @ 04:15AM PT
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.
Turning Outrage into Action for Darfur
Published March 20, 2009 @ 03:02PM PT
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.
"The photo of the young girl has always remained with me."
Published March 13, 2009 @ 03:11PM PT
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.
