By Alessandra Perez
Disrupting the typical Sunday afternoon scene of dogwalkers and ball players, thousands of students, musicians and activists filled Central Park on Sept. 17. They came from different regions, religions and creeds, but united under one name: Darfur.Forty-five university students joined thirty thousand people at Central Park this past Sunday on the Save Darfur Now: Voices to Stop Genocide rally in an effort to urge the allocation of U.N. troops to prevent the mass death in the Darfur region of Sudan. The students’ participation is a follow-up to the Washington D.C. rally at the National Mall in May, which drew 51 University students. After that rally, the U.S. government promoted an agreement between Sudanese groups. However, the fighting began again in July.The NYC Save Darfur Now rally was organized by the Save Darfur organization and brought together politicians, musicians, religious groups, activists and celebrities to urge the U.N. to send peace troops to the area. More than 400,000 Sudanese of African descent have already been killed by the local government.The University’s office of Student Activities organized the SGA-funded trip to New York City in an effort to create and maintain consciousness among students.”For the past two years, students have rallied for the cause of genocide awareness. This summer I was contacted by the Save Darfur Coalition for Hofstra to attend the rally,” said Student Activities assistant director Kimberly Rhyan, who helped organize both the D.C. rally trip and New York trips. “The immediate need is so vulnerable, that we have to continue our efforts, not just as students and administration, but as members of humanity.”Most students who attended the rally had learned about Darfur last semester during Genocide Awareness Week. Many remarked that the University’s efforts to create awareness among students and facilitate activism by providing trips and information are only some of the actions needed to spread the word about Darfur.University clubs such as Hillel, Dancework, Inter, Font and Circle K attended the event and say they feel very close to the cause.Ashley Gray, editor-in-chief of Font and one of the organizers of the D.C. trip, said that the most important thing the rally accomplished was reminding everyone that the genocide is anything but over. Attendants listened to activist speakers and text messaged President Bush and UN Secretary Kofi Annan about the need for more action to be taken against genocide. They also wore blue hats, like UN peace troops do, to represent the need for action in the African region. “Attending the rally is a way to stand up for the people in Darfur. Being one of the thousands of people there shows the government and the Sudanese citizens that we care,” said Shereen Al-Jaff, a Publishing and French major who attended the rally. “It is time for somebody to take action, and it is our duty to demand that action.” Students around campus who know about the cause and attended the rally have been getting the word around about the genocide in Darfur. Kate Legnetti, a sophomore majoring in Political Science and member of Circle K, said that wearing the shirts handed out at the rally are a great tool to get people informed about Darfur or remind them that it is still a present issue. Posters proclaiming “Save Darfur”, depicting Sudanese children are among some of the actions student advocates are implementing to raise awareness on campus. Student Activities expects to organize more programs to create awareness about international and national issues, and welcome suggestions from students. To get involved, contact Kimberly Rhyan at 260 Student Center with any ideas. For more information about Darfur, go to www.savedarfur.org

Student protestors gather in front of stage where musicians such as O.A.R. perrformed

Tickets distributed to each rallyist symbolized the massive number of people killed by the genocide

Thousands of protestors gathered in Central Park to protest on Sept. 17.