Darfur Encouragement
You should be proud. Our voices were heard at the United Nations and the G20.
I had to write you myself to say how deeply impressed and thankful I am for everything you did to bring the world’s attention to the people of Sudan.
The best way I can thank you is to share a few moments when it really hit home to me that our message was being heard…
The first was during our street actions in New York when we delivered your 45,383 petition signatures to Special Envoy to Sudan General Scott Gration. In the short program before the Darfur/Darfur exhibit began, General Gration told the crowd:
“And this letter that I’ve got from you all is very important. I’ll make sure that the President gets this, and that he understands the concern that America has to solve this problem in a very expeditious way; a concern that we’ll see in these pictures… What you’re doing is so important to bring the visibility and the pressures to bear, so that we can take the appropriate actions in Darfur to make a difference in the lives of people who deserve this and a lot more.”
—Special Envoy to Sudan General Scott Gration
The second moment happened the next day when we heard President Obama address Darfur and Sudan during his speech to the U.N. General Assembly, stating:
“That is why we will strengthen our support for effective peacekeeping, while energizing our efforts to prevent conflicts before they take hold. We will pursue a lasting peace in Sudan through support for the people of Darfur, and the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, so that we secure the peace that the Sudanese people deserve.”
—President Barack Obama to the UN General Assembly
Only one day later President Obama drove by our street team in Pittsburgh—and waved at our activists holding signs reminding him that if he could read this, he could save lives in Sudan.
He read that sign. Thanks to you, we were able to remind President Obama and other world leaders via signs, TV ads, print and billboard ads that they can all save lives in Sudan.
We were also able to hold a live webcast policy briefing on “Sudan and the G20: what the world’s richest countries can do.”
It’s your persistence and dedication to the people of Sudan that has made all this possible through our “Don’t Forget Darfur” campaign. We couldn’t have made any of this progress without you.
Check out what you accomplished during our United Nations and G20 “Don’t Forget Darfur” campaign by taking a few minutes to see our TV and print ads, policy briefing, photos of our street actions, and our new “Don’t Forget Darfur” video on YouTube.
Please know how deeply our entire team appreciates everything you do. With the momentum you’ve helped us build over the last few weeks, I have no doubt we can and will help promote a just and lasting peace for the people of Sudan.
—Mark
Mark Lotwis
Save Darfur Coalition
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Tags: Darfur, Obama, Sudan, United Nations
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