Events in 2009

2009-11-07 Celebration of Sudanese Culture from 2:00 – 4:00 PM, Arlington Town Hall. Cow making for children, holiday sale, drumming and dancing.
2009-11-01 “God Grew Tired of Us” 2:30 PM, the film “God Grew Tired of Us” will be shown at the Arlington’s Robbins Library Community Room followed by a South Sudanese panel discussion.
2009-10-27 State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda, Boston Public Library. Featured Speaker: Dr. Ann Millin, Historian, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “Propaganda,” Adolf Hitler wrote in 1924, “is a truly terrible weapon in the hands of an expert.” The Museum’s groundbreaking exhibition State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda reveals how over two decades Nazi leaders showed the world new ways of using this weapon, communicating seductive ideas to millions of Germans and other Europeans. Dr. Ann Millin examines how the Nazis employed propaganda to acquire power and create a climate of hatred, suspicion, and indifference that facilitated their campaign of violence against those they deemed undesirable. Reservations are requested. Please contact the Museum’s New England Regional Office at [email protected] or 202.488.6585.
2009-10-25 Francis Bok: Slavery in Modern Sudan Mr. Bok is “a refugee of Sudan and a survivor of child slavery. At the age of seven, he was captured and enslaved during an Arab militia raid on the village of Nynlal in Southern Sudan. For 10 years he lived as the family slave to Giema Abdullah, forced to sleep with cattle, endure daily beatings, and eat rotten food. Called “beed” (black slave), Bok was given an Arabic name —Dut Giema Abdullah—and forced to perform Islamic prayers. At the age of 17, Bok escaped to the nearby town of Matari, where he was enslaved by local policemen for two months. After being released, he escaped to Cairo, Egypt, where he lived as a refugee. In 1999, he was resettled in America. In 2000, Mr. Bok spoke out for the first time at a Capitol Hill ceremony with the Senate and Congress, sharing his message: “we cannot rest until my people are free”. Soon after, at the Boston Freedom Award ceremony, Bok spoke alongside Coretta Scott King, widow of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. On September 28, 2000, Bok became the first escaped slave to testify before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in hearings that were broadcast live on C-SPAN. Later that day, he met with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. The next month, Bok was invited to the White House for the Sudan Peace Act signing ceremony—where he spoke with President Bush at length, perhaps becoming the first former slave to meet an American president since the 19th century. He is the author of Escape from Slavery, published in 2003.
2009-10-25 Discussion of the Lost Boys Skills Center, , a not-for-profit effort of the Sudanese (Lost Boys) spear-headed by Abraham Manyang to promote training and education of all Sudanese youth for much-needed job skills. Abraham Manyang will be at the worship service at 10:30 AM and will give a following presentation in the chapel (11:45-12:30). Wellesley Hills Unitarian Universalist Society, 309 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA. 02481. All are welcome. Please call Bob Ferrell, 781-772-1899 for information.
2009-10-18 The Story of “Lost Boys & Girls of Sudan” 3:00 PM, Robbins Library Community Room, lower level. Mr. Bol Riiny & Ms. Rebecca Madut: The Story of “Lost Boys & Girls of Sudan”. Mr. Riiny is a “Lost Boy” from Sudan and was resettled in Winchester, MA, by Lutheran Social Services in late 2000. He attended Winchester High School, and graduated in 2004, and went on to attend Concordia College, NY, where he graduated with a bachelor degree in Business Administration. Mr. Riiny currently is the manager of Sudanese Community Center in Arlington, MA. Ms. Madut is one of the 89 “Lost Girls” who were resettled in the U.S., along with more than 3,000 “Lost Boys”. She attended Natick High School, where she graduated in 2003. She married in 2005, and has two lovely daughters. She is currently a junior in college at UMass Boston.
2009-10-15 DARFUR/DARFUR, MIT. From 7:00 – 8:00pm THE CRISIS will feature a discussion with Robert Rotberg, Susannah Sirkin, and Marcus Bleasdale. From 8:00 – 9:00pm THE EXHIBIT will be open for viewing. Learn more
2009-09-30 Investing in Genocide: What You Can Do To Stop It , Merrimack College. Eric Cohen, co-founder and the Chairperson of Investors Against Genocide and Chairperson of the Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur, will lead a workshop explaining the simple, no-cost, actions individuals can take to force the companies to change to genocide-free investments.
2009-10-14 Sudan Before and After 2011Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth and Roger Winter will deliver the Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award Lecture. Tufts University’s Medford Campus, Pearson 104, 8:00pm
2009-09-30 Investing in Genocide: What You Can Do To Stop It , Merrimack College. Eric Cohen, co-founder and the Chairperson of Investors Against Genocide and Chairperson of the Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur, will lead a workshop explaining the simple, no-cost, actions individuals can take to force the companies to change to genocide-free investments.
2009-09-29 The Devil Came on Horseback, Merrimack College. In conjunction with Exhibit Darfur, Merrimack College will be showing this film, introduced by Irit Tamir with time for Q&A after the film. Tamir works pro bono as the Director of Government Relations and Outreach for Investors Against Genocide and sits on the Steering Committee for the MA Coalition to Save Darfur.
2009-09-26 Crayons and Paper, will be screened at the Fireside Center for the Performing Arts at 11:30 am as part of the the Newburyport Documentary Film Film Festival. The film features drawings made by children in Darfur and in Sri Lanka and the very brave doctor who smuggled them back into this country. Download the flyer.
2009-09-29 – 2009-10-01 Exhibit Darfur at Merrimack College. Exhibit Darfur a touring collection of photographs taken by noted artists, including Mia Farrow, Brian Steidle, Aaron Cohen, Izabela Lundberg, Heidi McGiness, and Carol Rinehart to build awareness and focus attention on action against the Genocide in Darfur and preventing further genocide in the Sudan. Download the flyer now.
2009-09-20 The Peace Day Exeter Festival, Swasey Parkway, Noon – 5 PM. Activities for the festival include workshops and games for children, music and poetry, guest speakers, panel discussions on peace and sustainability issues, and other exciting events at the Swasey Parkway gazebo and surrounding green. Download the flyer now.
2009-09-03 – 2009-09-25 Exhibit Darfur at Harvard University. Exhibit Darfur a touring collection of photographs taken by noted artists, including Mia Farrow, Brian Steidle, Aaron Cohen, Izabela Lundberg, Heidi McGiness, and Carol Rinehart to build awareness and focus attention on action against the Genocide in Darfur and preventing further genocide in the Sudan. Download the flyer now.
2009-09-09 Reception for Exhibit Darfur at Harvard University. Please join us from 5:30-7:00 for a reception and viewing of Exhibit Darfur in Concourse Gallery. Download the flyer.
2009-08-05 The Ongoing Crisis in Darfur, featuring Eric Reeves, Smith College, and Dr. Sondra Crosby, Boston Medical Center and Physicians for Human Rights. 4:00pm, The Land Hall Kennedy School of Government, Harvard. The panel will explore: What is the current U.S. policy on the Darfur crisis? Is humanitarian aid still available to displaced refugees? What are the prospects for accountability and international justice for officials responsible for atrocities? Co-sponsored by the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy; the Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur; My Sister’s Keeper; Physicians for Human Rights. Download the flyer.
2009-07-11 4th Annual Save Darfur Benefit Concert, Saturday, July 11 from 2:00pm to 8:00pm at the The Bernie King Pavilion (The Bandstand) Across from the Arcade, 260 Nantasket Ave, Hull, MA. Massachusetts STAND and Hull High School’s Project Humanitarian Involvement will present the 4th Annual Save Darfur Benefit Concert. Featured acts include Adam Ezra, Tin Can Tele, Jer Coons, Taylor Carson, Rhyging, and more. Raffle prizes include custom skate board decks, courtesy of Jp3 Designs, and hundreds of dollars in gift certificates. All proceeds and donations will benefit UNICEF’s work in the Darfur region of Sudan, where a genocide that has played out over the course of six years has taken 400,000 lives and left 2.5 million displaced. Click here to see more details and RSVP.
2009-06-30 Preventing Genocide: A Blueprint for U.S. Policymakers, 7:00 p.m. Boston Public Library, Rabb Lecture Hall. Featuring Ambassador Swanee Hunt, President, Hunt Alternatives Fund; Meghan O’Sullivan, Lecturer in Public Policy, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School of Government; John Heffernan, Director, Genocide Prevention Initiative, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; Lawrence Woocher, Senior Program Officer, Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention, United States Institute of Peace. Learn how this report, released by the Genocide Prevention Task Force and co-chaired by Madeleine Albright and William Cohen, explains why genocide and mass atrocities threaten core American values and national interests and how the U.S. government can prevent these crimes in the future. Reservations are requested; please contact Sara Weisman at 202.314.0316 or e-mail [email protected] or register online. Download the invitation.
2009-06-13 North Shore’s Freestyle Dance for Darfur, 8:00 – 11:00 pm, at Ipswich Moving Co., Dance Studio, (rear of 62 East St., on Cogswell Street, Ipswich, MA). Enjoy DJ Rav’s mixed genre music, dance, network, and learn about the latest actions to help bring peace, health and justice to Darfur. $5 to $15/person suggested donation at the door. For more information call Lakshmi Sirois at 978-356-5956.
2009-05-28 Randolph High School’s Darfur Awareness & Genocide Prevention Week, 6:30-8:30pm. This community event will feature the movie “Voices from Darfur” and discussions with survivors of the Holocaust, Cambodia and Darfur. Refreshments afterwards. All are welcome.
2009-05-26 Randolph High School’s Darfur Awareness & Genocide Prevention Week, 8:25-10:15am (Periods 1 & 2). This event will feature a speaker and the 60 Minute segment “Searching for Jacob.” Open to RHS students only; closed to public.
2009-05-16 The Untold Story: a theatrical presentation of the Journey of the Southern Sudanese Women, Arlington Town Hall, 730 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington. Performances at 1pm and 8pm. Sudanese Dinner and silent auction, 6:30pm. For more information or to buy tickets online, visit: www.SudaneseEducationFund.org
2009-05-09 North Shore’s Freestyle Dance for Darfur, 8:00 – 11:00 pm, at Ipswich Moving Co., Dance Studio, (rear of 62 East St., on Cogswell Street, Ipswich, MA). Enjoy DJ Rav’s mixed genre music, dance, network, and learn about the latest actions to help bring peace, health and justice to Darfur. $5 to $15/person suggested donation at the door. For more information call Lakshmi Sirois at 978-356-5956.
2009-05-09 Bearing Witness: Crisis in Darfur, 9:30 a.m., Congregation Mishkan Tefila, 300 Hammond Pond Parkway Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02467 featuring Ruth Messinger, president of American Jewish World Service
2009-05-08 Stand In Harmony, Boston Latin School auditorium, 7:00 pm. A capella groups from schools in the greater Boston area will be putting on a fantastic concert to raise money for civilian protection in Darfur. Tickets are $7 at the door and $5 in advance. Find this event on Facebook.
2009-05-08 Jews as Global Citizens: Our Responsibility in the World, 5:30 p.m., Temple Israel, 477 Longwood Avenue Boston, MA 02215 featuring Ruth Messinger, president of American Jewish World Service
2009-05-05 Camp Darfur, Innovation Academy Charter School, 72 Tyng Rd, Tyngsboro, MA, 10am-6pm. Innovation Academy Charter School and the organization Stop Genocide Now are teaming up to present Camp Darfur, an interactive event to promote awareness about genocide. The exhibit will consist of five mock refugee tents, which represent the Holocaust, and genocides in Armenia, Cambodia, Rwanda and Darfur. Inside the tents, visitors will find information about genocide, videos of survivors, and multimedia student work. Camp Darfur will also feature artwork, poetry, presentations, and speakers, including genocide survivors and Sarah Rial of the organization My Sister’s Keeper. The event, which is free and open to the public, will call attention to the ongoing genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. Participants will discover their own power to make a difference.For additional information on Innovation Academy’s Camp Darfur, contact Emily Richardson at 978-649-0432 x7156 or [email protected]. To learn more about Camp Darfur, please visit www.stopgenocidenow.org/campdarfur.
2009-05-03 Darfur: What Next? A Day of Education, Inspiration, Solidarity, and Action, Andover Newton Theological School-Hebrew College, 160 Herrick Road, Newton Centre, MA, 3-8pm.  Learn more and register.
2009-05-02
2009-05-01 Cape Cod Battle of the Bands for Darfur, 7pm at Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School auditorium. $8.00 at the door. Proceeds will go to My Sisters Keeper and to Doctors Without Borders. Download the flyer for more information.
2009-04-26 Holocaust Commemoration/ Yom HaShoah, featuring Cardinal O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston. Sunday, April 26, 2009 from 2:00p.m. – 4:00p.m. at Faneuil Hall. Learn more and register.
2009-04-25 Walk for Darfur 10am at 735 Commonwealth Avenue (Marsh Plaza on BU Campus). Walkers can sign up online. There is a $10 minimum and walkers will receive free food, T-shirts, and prizes! Those who cannot attend the walk are encouraged to still donate! The walk is sponsored by the Boston University Darfur Coalition and the Sudan-Reach Women’s Foundation. All money raised will be donated to Sudan-Reach, a non profit organization committed to providing relief services to these refugees who have lost everything.
2009-04-24 94th Anniversary Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide 7 PM, Armenian Cultural and Educational Center, 47 Nichols Avenue, Watertown. Featuring Ken Hachikian Chairperson, Armenian National Committee of America and Ara Papian Former Ambassador of Armenia to Canada with Video Presentation: Armenian Heritage Park and Genocide Monument, Boston presented by James Kalustian, Chairperson Armenian Heritage Park Color guard escort by the Greater Boston Homenetmen Scouts. Organized by the Greater Boston Armenian Genocide Commemoration Committee.
2009-04-18 Rwandan Community Annual Commemoration Boston College High from 5 pm to 9 pm.
2009-04-17 Remembering Rwanda 1994-2009: Genocide and Its Aftermath,UMass Boston. Speakers include: Winston Langley, UMB provost; Robert Weiner, Professor of Political Science, UMass Boston; Alexandre Dauge-Roth, Associate Professor of French, Bates College; Henry Theriault, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Worcester State College Editor of The Journal of Genocide Studies and Prevention. Contact Lynne Tirrell, professor of Philosophy at UMass ([email protected]) with any questions.
2009-04-17 94th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide Commemoration, Massachusetts State House, 11 am.
2009-04-11 North Shore’s Freestyle Dance for Darfur, 8:00 – 11:00 pm, at Ipswich Moving Co., Dance Studio, (rear of 62 East St., on Cogswell Street, Ipswich, MA). Enjoy DJ Rav’s mixed genre music, dance, network, and learn about the latest actions to help bring peace, health and justice to Darfur. $5 to $15/person suggested donation at the door. For more information call Lakshmi Sirois at 978-356-5956.
2009-04-09 Screening of Sand and Sorrow, followed by Nasser Weddady, Civic Outreach Director for AIC, speaking on Darfur from an Arab perspective.  Event will be held at MIT building 56 (Whitaker Building), access via 21 Ames Street, room 114, 6 PM. View campus map.
2009-04-07 Mass Commemorating the Rwandan Genocide, Carlisle St Irene Church. The mass will take place at 6 pm and a short gathering will be held afterwards.
2009-03-24 iwitness: an Exhibit of Photographs of Armenian Genocide Survivors. Join Senator Steven A. Tolman, Representative Jonathan Hecht, and Representative Peter Koutoujian for this unique exhibit of photographs and stories of and about Armenian Genocide Survivors. On Tuesday, March 24, at 12 PM, photographer Levon Parian will be present to guide a brief tour of the exhibit. The exhibit will remain on display March 23 – March 27 in Doric Hall. Please RSVP to Representative Hecht’s legislative aide Stephen Herron at (617) 722-2140 or [email protected].
2009-03-21 Stride Against Genocide, 5K Walk/Run Event for Water for Sudan at DW Fields Park 370 Oak Street, Brockton, MA. Registration will begin at 9:30 am, runners will go off at 11:00am, and walkers will follow at 11:15am. Minimum donation is $15 for advance registration and $20 for on-site registration. There is a team discount of $100/10 participants. More information is available at www.strideagainstgenocide.blogspot.com. Please contact Emily Cunningham at [email protected] with any questions.
2009-03-17 Changing Bystanders into Upstanders: Standing Up and Repairing the World Join Temple Shalom Cares: Save Darfur for an interactive and insightful evening as we consider how ordinary citizens can shape history, and how we mobilize to help repair some of the world’s most hate-filled places such as Darfur. This thought-provoking evening will be led by Shira Dener and Andrew Tarsy of Facing History and Ourselves. The event will be held at Temple Shalom, 175 Temple Street, West Newton, MA, from 7:00 – 8:30 pm. There is no admission fee. For directions and additional information, go to www.templeshalom.org.
2009-03-14 Dance for Darfur, 7:30–10:30 PM, Temple Ahavat Achim, 33 Commercial St., Gloucester. The evening will begin with Havdallah and Songs with Rabbi Samuel Barth. At about 7:30pm Swing Lessons with Mitch Cohen and Kate Seidman. At 8:00pm DJ Rav spins our tunes: hora, swing world music, mixed genre – something for everyone! Wine, cold drinks and light refreshments will be served. $5 to $20 per person suggested donation at the door. All proceeds will go to Genocide Intervention Network Civilian Protection Program in Darfur. More information at here. RSVP to [email protected] or call Clare at 978-281-0739.
2009-03-01 Family Day, Darfur: Think, See, Learn. Join the Boston Public Library for for a series of opportunities for people of all ages to learn about and reflect on the crisis in Darfur in conjunction with the current Darfur photo exhibit. Download the flyer for full details.
2009-02-24 to 2009-03-11 Darfur: Photojournalists Respond, Johnson Lobby of the Boston Public Library. The photographers who have witnessed the atrocities in Darfur first-hand have taken unforgettable photographs that are a testimony to the individual human beings involved in the injustices occurring daily in Darfur. The exhibit features 30 photographs taken in Darfur by Colin Finlay, Sven Torfinn, Pep Bonet, Ron Haviv, Lysey Addario, Chris-Steele Perkins, Kadir van Lohuizen and Oliver Jobard. Download the flyer for full details.
2009-02-24 Darfur: Activists Speak Out, 6pm, Boston Public Library. Panelists will speak about the atrocities being inflicted in Darfur. Panelists include: Dr. Rev. Gloria Hammond-White, co-founder and co-pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Boston and founding co-chair of the Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur; Leora Kahn; founder of Proof: Media for Social Justice; and Dr. Abdel Gabar Adam, founder of the Darfur Human Rights Organization of the USA. Download the flyer for full details.
2009-02-10 Deadline for donating to the Dress Sale for Darfur
Cardinal Spellman High School’s chapter of STAND, A Student Anti-Genocide Coalition, is hosting a “Dress Swap for Darfur” sale February 12th and 13th from 2:30-4:30 in Spellman’s Cafeteria.They will be collecting prom and semi-formal dresses until February 10th and will be selling them for 85% off the original price. All proceeds will go to benefit civilian protection and humanitarian assistance in the Darfur region of Sudan. If you are interested in donating dresses, please call Emily Cunningham at 781-626-1016 to schedule a time for a STAND member to pick up your donation anywhere in the Boston area or South Shore.
2009-02-10 A Night to End Violence Against Women in Darfur
7:15 – 8:45pm at Temple Ahavat Achim, 33 Commercial Street, Gloucester, MA. The event is free, but donations will go to Genocide Intervention Network Civilian Protection Program in Darfur. Join us for a pre-screening and discussion of Save Darfur’s new DVD Violence Against Women and the Darfur Genocide. Thousands of women and girls in Darfur have suffered enormously from sexual violence, rejection from their husbands and communities, and from having no legal recourse and often no medical care. They are innocent victims of the Darfur genocide. Please watch this 17 min. DVD then discuss and learn ways to help. Admission is free, donations will be sent to Genocide Intervention Network Civilian Protection Program in Darfur to make a difference in women’s lives in Darfur.
2009-02-09 Film screening with “Mama Rita,” director of Israel’s first women’s shelter for Sudanese refugees
6:30 pm at Harvard University. Please download the flyer for full details.
2009-02-07 Dance for Darfur, North Shore Freestyle Dance for Darfur, 8-11 PM, at the Ipswich Moving Co. Dance Studio on 2 Cogswell Street, Ipswich, MA. Dance barefoot or in soft-soled dance shoes on the wooden dance floor, while DJ Rav spins mixed genre music. At “half time” network and participate in a group yoga, sounding or dance activity. Plus, learn about the latest actions to help bring peace and justice to Darfur. Admission is a sliding scale of $5-$15 and a percentage will go to Genocide Intervention Network Civilian Protection Program. For information call Ravi and Lakshmi Sirois at 978-356-5956.
2009-02-06 The Pursuit of International Criminal Justice: The Case of Darfur, Yale Law School
Policymakers, scholars, and civil society leaders will consider the role that international criminal prosecution should play in the strategy to end the violence in Darfur and in other massive conflicts. Dean Harold Hongju Koh will moderate discussions among attendees including the Legal Advisers to the U.S. State Department, the U.K. Foreign Office, and the United Nations; the Ambassador of the League of Arab States to the U.S.; the former head of UN peacekeeping operations; and leading Darfur activists and experts. Luis Moreno-Ocampo, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, will deliver the keynote address.
2009-02-05 Never Waste a Crisis: Rebuilding Post-Conflict Communities
Featuring Nancy Lindborg, President, Mercy Corps
11:30-1:00pm
NYE-A Taubman, Harvard University
2009-02-05 FORUM: Peacekeeping: Can The U.N. Meet the Challenge?, John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum, Harvard University
Event Speakers are Michael Gaouette, Team Leader, Darfur Integration; David Harland, U.N. Peacekeeping Operations; Susana Malcorra: Under Sec. General, U.N. Dept. of Field Support; moderated by Jacqueline Bhabha, Director of the Harvard University Committee on Human Rights Studies
2009-01-31 PHR’s National Student Conference, Brown University