Student Activism

From September 25 to September 29, Amnesty International USA will organize delegations to visit their elected officials' district offices to deliver the message that the Bush Administration must do more to halt the conflict in Darfur, Sudan; and to "get U.N. boots on the ground in Darfur." Activists will visit more than 245 Congressional Offices in Washington, DC - AIUSA's largest ever district office mobilization. The delegation visits are a part of Amnesty's 100 Days of Action on Darfur, a worldwide movement that examines the critical human rights violations in the Darfur crisis, including: Arms and Security; International Justice; Refugees and Internally Displaced People; Women and Girls. The conflict in Darfur, Sudan has led to hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths, and displacement of millions of civilians. Here you can find more background information on the Darfur crisis and information about delegation visits.

Later

Nadine

What if you were mistreated for reading your favorite book? Or channeling your feelings into a poem? Hundreds of authors and readers from around the world are being persecuted for creating or reading articles that others deem unacceptable. National Banned Books Week is held from September 23^rd-30^th and highlights these occurrences that threaten our first amendment rights.

This week is a great time to start exercising your right to free expression. Get together with friends to write poems about events happening around your neighborhood. Read one of the books mentioned on the American Library Association's banned books list. Get involved with your local library to discover more ways to let your voice be heard. And don't let your expressions stop at this week. Come up with fun and creative ideas that will let your voice be heard all year round.

To learn more about banned books and authors, head over to Amnesty's webpage. Also stop by ALA's Banned Books Week page for a list of challenged books and authors.

Later,

Veronica

In this fast paced society, what's prevelant one day is passe the next.  Just look at the news, you won't be able to get away from a story on Monday, but by Friday, any trace of what went on is buried underneath current events and breaking news. 

The same thing can happen with human rights work.  An issue that gets a lot of focus one day may lose its prominence by the next.  But has the issue become any less important?  Probably not.  It's with this in mind that we remind you to keep fighting for justice in Darfur.

Even though you've probably worked on this issue for quite a bit by now, it's important to keep moving.  There are many online actions at Amnesty's website that you can do.  We're posting new ideas and new stories everyday so check back often to make sure you're up to date on what's going on.

Don't give up hope!  The time to act is now!

Odds are that if you're reading this, you know that Amnesty International staunchly opposes the death penalty and all forms of capital punishment.  What you may not know is how active the Program to Abolish the Death Penalty at Amnesty is in current death penalty cases across the US.

We have another success story resulting from the work of the Program to Abolish the Death Penalty.  The execution of South Dakota's Elijah Page, scheduled to be the first execution in the state in the past 60 years, has been delayed.  The Governor of South Dakota, Mike Rounds, issued a stay on Page's sentence that will delay his execution until at least July 1, 2007.

To learn more about this case or to take action against the death penalty, head over to Amnesty's website.

It's been a year since Hurricane Katrina ravaged the gulf coast destroying cities like New Orleans and countless other communities in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.  While images of the storm and stories of the damage it caused were prevelant in our media for several weeks after the hurricane hit, they slowly faded away making it seem as if some had forgotten the tragic events of last September. 

We here at Amnesty International have not forgotten.

We urge you to call on your elected officials to bring attention back to the Gulf Coast.  It is crucial that the toxic waste left by Katrina be cleaned up in New Orleans and other areas so that these places can be rebuilt.  To learn more or to take action now, check out Amnesty's website.

Join Amnesty International on October 10^th for a National Day of Action.  Amnesty is calling on activists and groups across the country to host screenings of the film "Iraq for Sale" and to participate in a call-in involving the film's production team.

"Iraq for Sale" deals with business and human rights in relation to, you guessed it, the Iraq war.  This is a fun and easy action that you can do to bring awareness to a part of the war that receives little media attention.

To learn more, register, or by the DVD check out the Amnesty website.

Human rights defenders in El Salvador have reported attacks and death threats stemming from their work on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights.  A group called the "Between Friends Association" has reported that William Hernandez, the organization's director, was accosted and held at gunpoint on June 1^st outside their offices.  The group also fears that Hernandez, and other members, may be under surveillance.

Take action to protect the lives of human rights defenders in El Salvador!  Check out the urgent action section of Amnesty's website to learn more or to get involved.