WHY ARE WE WALKING?
We are walking to demand an end
to the genocide in Darfur. We are walking in
solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of
men, women and children in the Darfur refugee
camps who must walk miles each day risking death
and rape to collect the water and firewood they
need to survive.
We are walking to raise funds for Doctors
Without Borders one of the few remaining
organizations working to save lives in the
refugee camps on the Darfur-Chad border. Every
day, the doctors and staff risk their own lives
and safety in an environment that is so
dangerous most organizations has pulled out. The
United Nations warns that the entire area is now
in danger of collapse, leaving over two million
men, women and children to face death by
disease, starvation and murder.
We are walking to call upon the government of
the United States and the government of China to
demand the immediate deployment of the United
Nations Peacekeeping Force to ensure peace and
security for the people of Darfur.
WHAT ARE
OUR ACTION STEPS?
At the rally, we will ask people
to take action and sign postcards demanding that
both the US government and the Chinese
government intercede on behalf of the people of
Darfur.
These postcards will also be available for
downloading on our website. We hope that you
will take the opportunity to collect as many as
you can. All postcards will be collected and
delivered to our Congressional leaders asking
for their support of specific measures to
promote peace in Darfur.
WHY DO WE
CARRY A TORCH?
We carry a torch to call
attention to the link between the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games and the Darfur genocide.
As athletes all around the world prepare to
compete in the games that are meant to bring
nations together in peace, the Chinese
government continues to be the main supplier of
economic, military and political support for the
brutal Sudanese regime that is systematically
murdering its own people.
China has unrivaled influenced with the
government of Sudan and has more power than any
other nation to stop the suffering of people in
Darfur. We carry the torch to demand that China
put every possible pressure on Sudan to deploy
the UN Peacekeepers now.
Please note: this is NOT in any way intended to
be a boycott of the Olympic Games. It is a call
for China to honor the true spirit of the games
and confirm its role as a world leader by
helping to establish a lasting peace in Darfur.
WHO WILL BE
WALKING?
Any one can choose to walk -
either individually or as part of a group. We
hope to have participants from athletic teams,
school clubs and school classes, scouting
groups, youth groups, church and synagogue
groups, and community groups of all kinds from
all over New Jersey.
WHY ARE WE
WALKING IN APRIL?
The real Olympic Torch travels
around the globe as part of its journey from
Athens to Beijing. It will touch down in San
Francisco on Wednesday, April 9. This will bring
a lot of publicity in the US about the Games,
which we hope to use to focus attention on the
crisis in Darfur and China’s special role in
helping to resolve the conflict.
The Save Darfur Coalition has
called for action both in the US and around the
world as part of their campaign for Global Days
for Darfur. They hope to coordinate a
nation-wide media campaign that will help focus
attention on the importance of Darfur to people
all over the world