Manhattan College To Host National Speaking Tour Featuring Darfur Refugees

RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Refugees from Sudan’s western region of Darfur will tell their stories as Manhattan College hosts Voices from Darfur, a national speaking tour sponsored by the Save Darfur Coalition. The event will be held on Tuesday, April 22 at 7:00 p.m. in the Chapel of De La Salle and His Brothers. It is free and open to the public.

Voices from Darfur will feature a short documentary film followed by personal accounts of  genocide from survivors. The event will be presented by the Manhattan College chapter of the Student Anti-Genocide Coalition (STAND), JustPeace, International Studies, Peace Studies and the Campus Ministry and Social Action.

Since its launch in summer 2007, Voices from Darfur has visited 44 cities across the United States, reaching more than 10,000 people. The tour features speakers such as Abu Asal Abu Asal, a published Arabic language novelist from Western Darfur, who now lives in Massachusetts. He was arrested and beaten by the Sudanese government for protesting the mistreatment of Darfuris and was eventually forced to flee Sudan

Videos of survivors and other resources can be found at www.voicesfromdarfur.org.

Since February 2003, as many as 400,000 people are estimated to have died in Darfur, and 2.5 million have been displaced as a result of what President Bush and Congress have called genocide. Suffering in Darfur continues to intensify as a result of the genocide, which is sponsored by the Sudanese government and perpetrated by the Janjaweed militias.

In June 2007, a United Nations spokesperson stated that nearly 140,000 civilians have been displaced since the beginning of the year. Four million people are now affected by the crisis, which has spread from Sudan into neighboring Chad and the Central African Republic.

The Save Darfur Coalition raises public awareness about the ongoing genocide in Darfur and mobilizes a unified response to the atrocities that threaten the lives of people throughout the Darfur region. It is an alliance of more than 180 faith-based, advocacy and human rights organizations. The coalition’s member organizations represent 130 million people of all ages, races, religions and political affiliations united together to help the people of Darfur. For more information on the coalition, visit www.SaveDarfur.org.

For more information about this event, please contact Lois Harr, director of campus ministry and social action at Manhattan College, at (718) 862-7142 or e-mail lois.harr@manhattan.edu.

Members of the media who would like to cover the event may contact Scott Silversten, communications manager at Manhattan College, at (718) 862-7232 or e-mail scott.silversten@manhattan.edu. Manhattan College is located at West 242nd Street near Broadway in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, one mile from the Westchester County line, and accessible by MTA subway line 1.

Founded in 1853, Manhattan College is an independent, Catholic, coeducational institution of higher learning offering more than 40 major programs of undergraduate study in the areas of arts, business, education, engineering and science, along with graduate programs in education and engineering. For more information, or directions to Manhattan College, visit www.manhattan.edu.