Indiana Action on Darfur

Darfur and Indiana may seem worlds away from each other, but they have one very important fact in common: Both are home to Darfurians.  Fort Wayne, Indiana is home to one of the largest populations of Darfurians – approximately 300 – in the United States.  They also live throughout the state in South Bend, Indianapolis and Elkhart.  People from Darfur began to settle in Indiana in the 1990s but have increasingly made a home in the Midwestern state as a result of the violence in Darfur over the past four years.   

Recently, Citizens for Global Solutions – which continues to play an important role in the effort to bring an end to the atrocities in the Darfur region of Sudan – took its work on this important issue to the local level.  Via our Connecting Global to Local program, we partnered with a growing Darfur movement in Indiana.  The partnership became the driving force that led the Indiana House and Senate to unanimously adopt legislation divesting the state’s pension funds in companies doing business with the government of Sudan.  Though the Indiana divestment bill is now officially on the books as state law, activists in Indiana and throughout the world continue to act until the atrocities in Darfur come to an end.

This local initiative is an important example of our overall advocacy and education on the ongoing atrocities in Darfur.  Through our online Darfur Resource Center, Citizens for Global Solutions has provided educational materials, news updates, policy analysis and timely actions for our members nationwide.  We also have continued to work to keep the Darfur issue on the forefront of policymakers’ minds and emphasize the need for the U.S. to work through international institutions like the United Nations and the International Criminal Court to end atrocities in the region.

Our success in Indiana was due to the fact that not only is the state home to hundreds of Darfurians, it is also home to many committed activists who spend their personal time and money to make a difference for Darfur.  The Indianapolis Star, the local paper, has frequently profiled the work of activists in local high schools, colleges and networks of volunteers who host events and raise awareness on Darfur.  Citizens for Global Solutions worked closely with two leading activists in Indiana: Suliman Giddo of the Darfur Peace and Development Organization, and Beth Reilly, a passionate Darfur advocate and mother of three. 

The growing state divestment movement is one of the most exciting ways that individuals can take action for Darfur.  This initiative has been spearheaded by national organizations like the Sudan Divestment Task Force and Fidelity Out of Sudan.  Divestment targets companies that profit from doing business in Sudan in order to put financial pressure on the government of Sudan while preventing a negative impact on civilians.  State governments often have pension funds invested in companies that do business with Sudan.

Our work in Indiana was led by Julia Fitzpatrick, Herbert Scoville Peace Fellow, and Rich Stazinski, Outreach Manager.  They participated in two events sponsored and organized by Citizens for Global Solutions: A major rally held at the Indiana State House calling for state divestment and national action, and a workshop on Darfur.  These events not only brought together a diverse range of individuals and community organizations, but also generated significant press coverage and spurred in-depth debate on the issues.  The workshop for Darfur, held at Marian College in Indianapolis, allowed participants to engage in discussion with experts on policy issues, the situation on the ground in Darfur and tools for advocacy.

More than 500 people attended the rally, and more than 100 participants in the workshop committed to contacting their representatives about the divestment bill in the Indiana legislature.  Shortly after these events, the bill was unanimously passed by the legislature. 

Fitzpatrick said she “was fortunate to work with a committed and passionate group of volunteers who dedicated countless hours and their own money to ensuring that Indiana divested from Sudan.” 

The media coverage that followed the events, and subsequent divestment law, gave real meaning to the Margaret Mead quotation: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world.  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”  Though the crisis in Darfur remains, there is now proof of a changed world in Indiana. 

By providing a bridge between national campaigns and advocacy efforts and local activism, Citizens for Global Solutions’ work in Indiana proved that ordinary citizens in the U.S. can make a difference for the people of Darfur.