Girl, you are too political for me!

I heard this comment about myself earlier this week from a friend of mine, and I realize a bunch of you on my friends list are probably in agreement at this point, so I thought I'd address it. I know that I've been posting constantly the last few weeks about the situation in Congo, Sudan, the elections, etc. I was involved with the Sudan Sham campaign and am coordinating some events in St. Louis around Mark Hanis' visit and Genocide Prevention Month (which, in case you missed it, is going on NOW).

... I was thinking about apologizing just now in case I annoyed anyone, but decided against it. Because I am annoyed. What is going on right now in Sudan is outrageous and everyone should be speaking out against it. Instead, our own government is supporting these sham elections with something like $95 million in taxpayer dollars and most U.S. citizens are too involved in themselves to notice or care. So if you found yourself clicking the "X" or rolling your eyes when you came across yet another post from me about Sudan... TOO BAD. I'm not going to apologize for trying to wake you up to the situation there because IT IS IMPORTANT.

Please don't misunderstand me - I do not blame people for not knowing. I don't even really blame you for not caring, because unless someone or something grabs you, often we don't know why we should care. I don't mean to be contentious or abrasive. I just want you to know why I care, in hopes that it will grab you and you will start to care.

Being "political" is not something I have ever aspired to be. In fact, I find myself increasingly frustrated with politics, politicians, and government as a whole. (I agree with Jim Wallis that "the political polarization of our society has now reached a new and dangerous level..." and "We need to behave differently, for both the sake of our spiritual integrity and the health of our democracy"). BUT I also agree with Mark Hanis, president and co-founder of Genocide Intervention Network that "large-scale social change will only happen if you seriously engage with the government." And large-scale social change is what is needed in Sudan, Congo, and Burma, where ordinary citizens are being targeted for elimination by their own governments. We might not always agree with our representatives and the decisions they make, but at least they were fairly elected. And nobody is threatening to "cut [our] throats" if we exercise our freedom of speech.

So with that, I'll step off my soap box. For now. But I will not stop posting about the injustices going on in the world, even though I realize it's not the easiest way to keep or win Facebook friends. Making you uncomfortable is kind of the point. And if one day you'd like to join me in the campaign to make genocide history - LET'S GO! (=

I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.
Elie Wiesel

First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win.
Mahatma Ghandi 

Hello, all. I warned you that you'd be hearing more from me. Here's some info about a new movement I'm involved with that is just starting up today. I'm point person for Missouri - OUR ACTION DAY IS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28 - if you have any questions, let me know. TO MY FRIENDS IN OTHER STATES: please get involved! Each state has an action day and the actions only take a few minutes, but if every single senator hears from a bunch of his constituents over the next 50 days, it will definitely make an impact. Also, THEY STILL NEED LEADERS IN TN and NC! (I promise, it's really not that hard, especially since other states have already presented a number of great actions you can copy... you'd just need to personalize them to your state's officials and then mobilize the people you know in your area).

ACTIVISTS NATIONWIDE CALL ON US GOVERNMENT TO WITHHOLD SUPPORT FOR SHAM SUDANESE ELECTIONS

They call for full diplomatic pressure towards peace, protection and justice

CITIES NATIONWIDE—February 19, 2010—Activists nationwide call for the withholding of US support for illegitimate Sudanese elections, currently scheduled for April 11, 2010.  The Sudan Sham Elections 2010 campaign begins February 20th.  For the 50 days leading up to the Sudanese elections, ordinary citizens in every state are taking targeted and effective action to ensure the US government will not legitimize sham elections in Sudan. Although the Obama administration came out with strong words when presenting its Sudan policy in October 2009, there has been no visible positive change on the ground.

The fifty states will tag-team, each participating in a day of action, advocating for a new direction in US policy.

“How can it make sense.” asks Gabriel Stauring Director of Stop Genocide Now, a group that seeks to change the way the world responds to genocide. “You have an indicted war criminal, Omar al-Bashir, as the candidate. The candidate and current president of Sudan, a post he attained through military coup, and his government is responsible for millions of deaths across Sudan.  They control the elections, and they continue to terrorize Sudanese citizens in the days leading up to this sham.  We, as Americans, cannot legitimize al-Bashir in any way.”

Tzivia Schwartz Getzug, Executive Director of Jewish World Watch, states, “Sudanese elections, currently scheduled for April 2010, will be anything but free and fair. The electoral reforms laid out by Sudan's 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement - necessary for a credible election - have been delayed, obstructed and outright violated by the Sudanese government. With instability continuing in Darfur and violence mounting in the South, fraudulent elections in April could be a dangerous flashpoint for Sudan. The US should not legitimize non-credible elections in Sudan.”

"The elections will not be fair and free. They will be a sham,” states Mohamed Suleiman—a Darfuri leader living in the US (with many family members and friends living in displacement and refugee
camps), in support of the campaign.  “Omar al-Bashir took control of Sudan 20 years ago by military coup and has brutally ruled the country since. There is no freedom of movement, let alone freedom of expression or freedom to organize. Darfur is a war torn region where many previously vibrant and bustling villages now lay in ashes."  

A.J. Fay an activist leader, and Co-founder of the Idaho Darfur Coalition, invites other US citizens to join Sudan Sham Elections 2010.  “Sudan is on the brink,” he says.  “We could see violence that rivals only Sudan’s own brutal past.  As citizens of the world, we must stand with others in danger.  Our own government must stand on the side of principle and press for peace in Sudan, now.”

For information on how to participate, visit www.sudansham2010.org

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ABOUT SUDAN SHAM 2010

Sudan Sham 2010 is a coordinated effort of regular citizens across all 50 states and DC who stand with the people of Sudan—the marginalized, the disenfranchised, and the brutally oppressed—in demanding free and fair elections. In a climate of violent political intimidation and with millions disenfranchised in camps, there cannot be credible elections in Sudan. US support gives the government of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, indicted on war crimes and crimes against humanity, legitimacy it does not deserve. It is a waste of American taxpayer money, and non-credible elections will fuel violence and divisions in a country that is already on the brink.

I'm on the plane now, heading back from Boston to St. Louis, still trying to really digest and absorb the experiences of this weekend with the Banyamulenge in New Hampshire. In a way, it feels like the weekend was too short. In another, it feels as though the connection I feel with the people and the emotions I have upon having to leave them could only have formed through weeks and weeks of shared experiences and intimacy.

Although I have been thinking about writing this entry for a while now (and hoping my fellow memorial attendees are doing the same about their own memories - hint, hint guys (; ), I'm still not sure what I want to share. Should I talk about all the wonderful people I got to meet, like Faraja, the beautiful singer who gave me so many warm hugs, or Rose Mapendo, who named her children after the prison guards who threatened to kill them? Should I share how wonderful it felt to be received as an equal within a group so intensely bonded together through life events, culture, and shared experiences even though I did not understand half of what was being said the entire weekend? Or how good it was to be greeted warmly by a woman who used to attend my church before relocating to another state, even though back in her St. Louis days we maybe exchanged two awkward, un-understood words to each other?

Instead, I think I will reluctantly tell the story of what I felt was the worst moment of the trip for many of us, because it is probably something that will stick with me the rest of my life.

Reflections on the Gatumba Memorial (imuhira.com)