Patrick Corrigan

It all started with a Kool-Aid stand on Notre Dame’s North Quad. We sold cups of Kool-Aid for 25 cents and asked for donations from anyone who walked past on a beautiful day in September 2004. Afterward, we sent a $150 check for humanitarian aid to the Darfur region of Sudan. I had no idea that would launch a campus movement and be the first step in a journey to the nation’s capital.

We left for Washington D.C. on April 5, 2005, to join students and other citizens from around the nation in a day of activism for the defense of civilians in Sudan. We planned to attend a press conference that would raise awareness about the carnage occurring in Darfur. We would also meet with our congressional representatives to urge them to sign the Darfur Genocide Accountability Act.

The participants were members of the Notre Dame Sudan Steering Committee, formed in October 2004 in response to the unfolding catastrophe. Since February 2003, a conflict between rebel forces and the government-armed Janjaweed militia has caused great losses among Darfur civilians. An estimated 400,000 people have been killed and 2.2 million people have been displaced. The president and Congress have declared the actions of the Sudanese government and the Janjaweed militia to be genocide.

While two United Nations resolutions and current legislation in the United States have begun to address the genocide, the world community has failed abysmally in its responsibility to protect the people of Darfur.

Our day of lobbying was a success by all measures except the most important one. As of this writing, the Darfur Genocide Accountability Act has not passed. Still, as I stared at the White House at the end of a long day, I found it amazing how far we had come as a group and how much we had accomplished.

Students and faculty from diverse parts of the university had united with two main goals: 1) to raise awareness about the genocide, and 2) to improve conditions on the ground through humanitarian support and political participation. From the beginning, the group acted as an umbrella organization for the many groups making efforts to help the people in Darfur. Our committee has a core of 10 members and an associate membership of hundreds more. Two peace studies majors from the class of ’05 provided early leadership: Stephanie Aberger, who also majored in history; and Michael Poffenberger, whose other major was anthropology.

Our first big effort was a green ribbon campaign to raise awareness of the issue. We cut and distributed more than 3,000 ribbons attached to information cards. For the rest of the year, green ribbons decorated shirts and backpacks all over campus.

Next, we organized a panel discussion that we hoped would spark a campus conversation about Darfur. Three of the top international experts on the conflict agreed to participate in the February 23 “Sudan Symposium.” Thanks to the generosity of the Kroc Institute and other Notre Dame groups, we had no problems paying for the event. The speakers, John Prendergast, Francis Deng and Larry Minear, engaged more than 500 members of the Notre Dame and South Bend community in a discussion about the extent of the suffering in Darfur. They explained the complex political roots of the conflict and possible policy solutions.

Our committee worked on its second goal throughout the academic year. A major strength of the group has been providing tangible political and charitable outlets for people to help Darfur victims. At every event we held, we gave students the opportunity to write letters asking their policy leaders to address the genocide. Our fund raisers generated more than $6,000 for humanitarian relief and support for African Union forces in Darfur through the Genocide Intervention Fund.

Four members traveled to Washington again in May to attend the trial of two Notre Dame alumni (including Kroc graduate Brenna Cussen, M.A. ’03) who were arrested while protesting at the Sudanese embassy. Also, they met with congressional representatives who have not yet co-sponsored the Darfur Genocide Accountability Act. The Sudan Steering Committee will be back at Notre Dame in the fall. Our efforts will not be complete until the genocide in Darfur is over.

I have been privileged to work with passionate and kind people on such a worthy cause. Our efforts, combined with others from around the nation, have helped bring humanitarian aid to the people of Darfur and have convinced the media and policy makers that the Darfur genocide is a major issue. I can’t help but smile at the thought of our progress from the humble beginnings of a Kool-Aid stand.

Patrick Corrigan, class of ’07, is majoring in both liberal studies and peace studies.

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