Right to equality. Freedom from discrimination. Right to life, liberty and personal security. Freedom from slavery. Freedom from torture and degrading treatment.
These are the opening lines of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, basic principles said to be guaranteed to every human being from the minute they are born.
These words were also scrawled out in bright marker ink on a 15-foot-long piece of brown paper taped down the walkway in front of FAU’s Social Science building on the Boca campus.
The statement was part of a student-run activism rally held Wednesday, during which FAU’s Amnesty International chapter tried to raise awareness on genocide taking place in the Darfur region of Sudan in Africa.
“The crisis in Darfur is huge,” said Josef Palermo, group organizer for Amnesty International and one of the masterminds behind the event. “It is being underplayed by the mainstream media. So, we wanted to educate people and give a more grass-roots approach to the campus.”
This grass-roots approach that brought together six other campus groups – two Jewish groups, Student Government, the African Student Foundation and the Save Darfur Foundation – was part of Amnesty International’s “Seven days, Seven Ways of Activism” movement, during which the group plans to introduce a new issue each day.
Wednesday’s event was the second day of the group’s activism week. More than 50 attendees listened to guest speakers – including an imam and a rabbi – and got their Darfur questions answered. They also received little blue pieces of paper addressed to U.N Secretary General Kofi Annan.
These blue fliers were a petition calling for the U.N. to send troops into Darfur to stop the violence between Arab groups and native Africans in the Sudan region and put an end to the gross human rights violations being committed.
“The flyers are a symbolic representation,” said Palermo, who explained that blue is the color of the U.N. troops’ helmets. “We want blue on the ground in Darfur.”
During the event, volunteers passed out the forms for people to sign and told them to hold onto them until the end when they would all join together and form a human chain to show their support. More than 100 petitions were signed at the event, said Palermo, who called it a “great victory” for activism.
“We feel that if we put pressure on our governments, they can put pressure on the U.N.” Amnesty’s Ana Halper said to the crowd as she explained the purpose of the flyers. “Real action can happen, and it starts with us.”
FAU’s Amnesty International chapter will be hosting a number of events on the Boca campus during its “Seven days, Seven Ways of Activism” movement. Thursday will be Stop Violence Against Women. Friday is Rise Up Against Arms, and Monday is Denounce Torture Day. For more information, contact Josef Palermo at (561) 674-1084.
