For anyone who doesn't know (which is probably a lot of you) this past weekend was the 20th Annual National Student Conference Against Hunger and Homelessness and it happened right here in Madison! How exciting. As of a week ago, I was to have no part in the conference though I was planning to volunteer at the Hunger banquet, but all that changed with one little email.
Early last Tuesday I was emailed regarding potentially holding a session about Darfur at the conference, well one thing led to another and by the end of the conference I had lead two sessions about Darfur and Sudan, lead a break out session on Humanitarian crises, tabled at a mini-org fair (we were the only non-national/international organizaiton represented!) volunteered at the Hunger banquet, and most excitingly spoke on the opening panel concerning Humanitarian crises. What a weekend! Thankfully my amazing co-president showed up half way through and helped out.
In any case, the weekend was amazing. Not only did I get the chance to talk to a lot of people about Sudan and Darfur, I made some amazing contacts for future Action in Sudan (www.actioninsudan.org) events. We were also able to get students to help sign letters to their state senators in support of the current divestment bill we are pushing through Congress.
More exciting still was the amazing amount of ideas, energy and action that was accomplished over the weekend. We started plannig a few national events that will be taking place this coming spring - coordinated lobbying days, coordinated spring break trips to the gulf coast, and a possible "Die in Day" for different causes, reminding people that individuals die every day due to curable diseases, hunger, and in our case the crisis in Darfur. We also all pulled out our cell phones to call our senators to pressure them to support amendments to the Farm Bill that will be brought to the floor this week.
Like one of the professors who attended said, 'It is students who are making these issues known. Back when Rwanda was happening nobody talked about. Years later, during apartheid, it was students who pushed for divestment which is now viewed as one of the primary agents in ending apartheid.'

So this isn't much of a blog. It's actually pulled from the info page I made on a different site, but it'll do. I'm one of the presidents of the UW-Madison student organization Action in Sudan. It's one of the things I am most passionate about right now. Here's some info about what we do.

Action in Sudan works to find practical solutions to the crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan. We do this through political action at the State level. We are presently pushing a bill through Congress in support of the national Divestment movement. This bill would make it illegal for the Wisconsin pension funds to be invested in companies that are investing in the Sudanese government. Note: this is targeted, not blanketed, divestment.

We also do a lot of public speaking events to keep people aware of the crisis and educate them about the history both of Darfur and Sudan.

We also raise money for rebuilding projects in Southern Sudan. We personally know three Sudanese refugees (Lost Boys of Sudan) who have started in NGO's in their home villages. They work on water access, education and health.

If you want to know more about any of this just ask.

So I've been a member of Zaadz for quite a few months now and I'm slowly starting to add things to my page. I really like the atmosphere on the site and I think it's time I starting adding to my page. It matters little to me if others read this, for I'm writing it mostly for myself, as a reminder to stay true to the person I've worked so hard to become. I think to begin my blog I want to say a few things about my beliefs, particularly concerning some big picture issues.
First, I was reading the New York Times today and there was an article that talked about how people are finally deciding to believe in global warming and call it factual. Wow. How much more must we destroy our planet until we are finally able to take a stance and make things better. I admit, I'm your average American. I'm sitting on my computer right now with an overhead light on, a fan running, and a few other misc things plugged in, but I like to think that I'm trying. I'm really into plants lately which I think helps the overall CO2 problem. I also make a point of turning off all the lights and things my roommates have a habit of leaving on, but I know it's not enough. I guess it is something I need to work on, but then again, don't we all...
Second, if you haven't seen my goals, then you may not know this, but if you have seen them, I'm sure this is already clear: I'm really passionate about poverty and Africa in particular. I've never been there, though I'm going to South Africa this January and hopefully to Morocco (or Sudan) next summer, but it's one of the few places I dream about. It scares me to think that we still live in a world where the rich accumulate unheard of wealth while the average person in sub-Saharan Africa and much of southeast Asia, can't seem to get by. On average 20,000 people die every year because they are simply too poor to live. In our present day society, that is simply unacceptable. So, I've decided to take a stand. I admit up until now I haven't done much. I'm really involved with my campus chapter of Action In Sudan and I know we're making a difference there, but I want to do more. (This past semester we helped buy uniforms, books and school supplies for a few hundred school children in a village in Southern Sudan - and don't worry. We don't just send the money to some random organization that may keep half the money for itself. We're in contact with three of the Lost Boys of Sudan who have set up NGO's which work in their home villages to provide clean water, education, and health facilities.) Back to the point, Africa. I'm passionate about it. It means a lot to me and it's become a very touchy subject ever since I realized how many people really don't think that it is our duty as human beings to help our fellow man, much less just to help, without it being from a sense of duty. Some people are outright opposed to the idea!
I suppose that is enough ranting for the time being. Those are two of the big issues I'm dealing with now, not to mention gay rights, Darfur (though briefly mentioned), fair trade, religion, and much more.