After six years in existence, the U.S. anti-genocide movement that sprang up as a result of the outbreak of genocide in Darfur is valuable example of how a dedicated group of people can bring to light a serious social wrong — even one obscure from the day-to-day lives of most Americans — and convince Americans to care and act.
The Enough Project, the Genocide Intervention Network, and Save Darfur Coalition are teaming up today at the Netroots Nation conference in Las Vegas to share the narrative of the anti-genocide movement and some lessons learned along the way. The movement literally put Darfur on the map for millions of Americans. Activists have turned out for rallies, sent emails and letters to their elected officials, organized events in their hometowns to raise awareness, and found other ways to creatively press for U.S. leadership to end the conflict in Darfur and promote peace in all of Sudan.
We hope that the conversation will give bloggers here in Vegas and the viewers who tune in via the live stream ideas about how to build a national movement around a niche issue, make U.S. foreign policy accessible to a broad audience, and involve people across the country in policy-making. Here’s the line-up:
— John Prendergast, Enough Project
— Martha Bixby, Save Darfur Coalition
— Janessa Goldbeck, Genocide Intervention Network
— Omer Ismail, Enough Project
— Laura Heaton, Enough Project
Help us encourage bloggers to turn out for our panel today! Tweet to #NN10 and tell the more than 2,000 participants here to come to Zero2Sixty today at 4:30 p.m. PT in room Miranda 1/2.
You can tune in from afar at this live stream channel: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nn10-miranda-1-2