A Million Miles Away

April 5th, 2007

The Darfur Crisis Brought Home
By: D. Yobach Boswell

Nashville TN - On March 27th Nashville welcomed Gloria White-Hammond, physician, pastor and humanitarian, to Nashville to discuss the genocide in Darfur Sudan; and what we right here in the U.S. can do about it.

The event put on by TAG: Tennesseans Against Genocide and hosted by the West End United Methodist Church, brought the doctor in from Massachutes to relay to the people of Nashville her observations from her 7 visits to Sudan, to give us an understanding of the underlying issues causing the genocide there and how the average American or civic group can act to help.

If you are not familiar with the issue, government backed mercenaries, the Janjaweed, have launched brutal attacks against the rural residents of the Sudanese region of Darfur; displacing some 2 million people and killing hundreds of thousands since 2003. To boot, a campaign of mass rape as a weapon of war has left many physically devastated, as well as emotionally traumatized.. As described by the New York Times, this is very different than opportunistic rape by individual criminals, this is policy rape.

Earlier that afternoon she spoke to Fisk students at historic Jubilee Hall about the genocide and the relief effort.

At West End United Methodist Church that evening, nearly 200 people showed up to hear Dr. White-Hammond speak. Emceed by local social activist, Randall Venson of Messengers of Peace; which has also started work on the Darfur issue, the evening was both informative and inspiring. Backed by visuals on a projector, Dr. White-Hammond relayed her many experiences in visiting and treating the Darfur victims in refugee camps.

She showed a striking image, that she had to pre-warn the audience about; of a boy who’s nose had been cut off by Janjaweed to debilitate him. She spoke of the slave redemption issue, which is a practice of buying slaves in order to set them free; and about it being “controversial”. Some are against it because they feel it encourages slavery.

Dr. White-Hammond then showed a picture of a girl who’s freedom was purchased for a mere 32 dollars U.S. The girl told her in response to the controversy to go back to America and “tell them I said thank you. Thank you for returning me to the soil that’s the same color as my skin”.

Dr. White-Hammond also spoke of the devastating effects that rape as a weapon of war has had on these victims. Often the Janjaweed will raid villages, killing all the fighting aged males and gang rapping the woman, including young girls; not only with the male organ but also with objects that cause horrible cutting and tearing. This leaves many damaged and unable to reproduce.

Dr. White-Hammond sought to bring home the experience of these women by prompting the audience to imagine if these were their sisters, mothers, or daughters. She spoke of a focus she has on these women’s empowerment by women reaching out and supporting women. You can learn more about such an initiative through an organization she’s affiliated with, My Sister’s Keeper. You can find them at www.mskeeper.org.

Other’s spoke as well, Cecilia Adeng, who’s family is from Sudan, and who’s family fled many years ago before the worst of the fighting spoke most eloquently about the plight of her people and of her appreciation for the generosity of those who have put forth an effort to help, calling them “friends of Sudan”. Cecilia is Miss South Sudan USA and is a senior at Fisk University who is set to graduate this may.

Her most poignant statement is that through these experiences “pain has turned into passion”.

On a like note, Big Kenny of platinum country due Big and Rich took to the podium giving an unpolished but passionate plea. “I don’t know if you feel like me, I feel like I want to explode inside” He spoke of his recently born son an getting teary eyed. Then in jubilation exclaimed, “I’m an entertainer y’all, I don’t do this”. Having collected himself, he told the audience about a powerful documentary on the Darfur crisis called The Devil Came On Horseback, that will be shown during the Nashville Movie Festivle at the Green Hills Regal Cinema on April 25th.

While the challenges may appear daunting, Gloria White-Hammond exclaimed “I don’t feel no ways tired” and gave 10 reasons why we don’t have to be weary.

If you’re interested in contributing to the relief effort or the political solution, here in Nashville you can start by joining TAG or supporting their efforts. They can be found at www.tennesseansagainstgenocide.org or you can call co-president Hazel Joyner-Smith at the Fisk Race Relations Institute at 615-324-8575

Along with My Sister’s Keeper, other national resources include: www.savedarfur.org and http://darfur.amnestyusa.org



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About The Blog

  • D. Yobachi Boswell

  • Yobachi Boswell is creator and publisher of BlackPerspecitve.net. I’m a writer, activist and political watcher based in Nashville, Tennessee. I’ve also been know to do some spoken word and MCing in my day.

    I created this site to give new voice to socio-political issues that are in need of thoughtful consideration and redress.

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