Student Activism

All companies have a responsibility to respect human rights, but all too often they're contributing to human rights abuses, whether directly or indirectly.  These abuses occur across industries and take many forms:

These multinational corporations often command more power in the economy than many governments, thus playing a significant part in the global struggle for human rights. 

By joining SHARE POWER, you can help hold corporations accountable for these violations.  No matter who you are, where you work, where you study, or where you live, you're connected to these multinational companies.  YOU can use this connection to influence change and pressure companies to end abusive practices and to be more responsible. 

No matter how much time you have, or your experience level, there are tons of ways and resources to help you get involved.

Use the power of investment shares to change the world and hold multinational corporations to account for human rights! 

NEED MORE INFORMATION? View the SHARE POWER Campaign video and keep your eyes out for the November/December edition of the High School Action Pack, which features actions on private military contractor abuses in Iraq (request a copy by emailing us at youth@aiusa.org). 

READY TO JOIN?  Sign up now!

WANT TO SPREAD THE WORD?  Plan a house party screening of Iraq for Sale and Shadow Company, two films about human rights abuses associated with private military companies. 

-Tiffany

Hello activists,  

From spreading awareness to encouraging action on human rights, documentary filmmaking enhances our understanding of our world.  In the tradition of Darfur Diaries, Darfur Now, the newest documentary made about the strife in Darfur, is scheduled for release November 2^nd.   

Starring Don Cheadle and George Clooney, this film chronicles the struggles and achievements of individuals from inside Darfur and around the world bring to light the tragedy in Sudan and show how the actions of one person can make a difference to millions.  From a UCLA graduate in Los Angeles, California, to a Darfurian woman who joins rebel forces, to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, to a United Nations humanitarian on the ground in Sudan, to an internationally known actor and activist, and finally to a community leader in a West Darfur refugee camp, the film portrays the heroic efforts of six people responding to a humanitarian tragedy unfolding before our eyes. Darfur Now is a call to action for people everywhere to help end the crisis in Darfur.

Watch the trailer and then spread the word about this awareness opportunity with your AI student group and friends.

For more information on Amnesty's work in Darfur or the Instant Karma music campaign for Darfur please visit our website. 

» Sign the Global Petition for Darfur and ask your friends and family to do the same
(we'll be making another delivery on December 10th, Human Rights Day)

Thanks,

Allison

Hello all,

There are still many AIUSA actions for fall, and from November 5^th-9^th,  Denounce Torture Campaign will begin their National Week for House Party Action with the film:  Ghosts of Abu Ghraib.   Acclaimed filmmaker Rory Kennedy investigates the psychological and political context surrounding the torture that occurred at Abu Ghraib through interviews with both Iraqi victims and the guards directly involved in the torture at the prison. Through these interviews, the film traces the events and the political and legal precedents that led to the scandal, beginning with the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.  "How could ordinary American soldiers come to engage in such monstrous acts?" Kennedy asks. "What policies were put into place that allowed this behavior to flourish while protections granted to prisoners under the Geneva Conventions were ignored?"  Check out the Denounce Torture page in the coming weeks for more information. 

The AIUSA website has a host of information on planning and registering  your event.  Feel free to explore more Activist Toolkit items while you are there.  You can also read a blog post by Rory Kennedy, filmmaker for Ghosts of Abu Ghraib on the Denounce Torture website talking about the background of the film.  Further synopsis, interview with filmmaker Rory Kennedy, resources on Abu Ghraib, and discussion boards are available on HBO's website.  Host a house party this November!

-Allison

Angelique Kidjo (Benin), Freshly Ground (South Africa), former child soldier Emmanuel Jal (Sudan), Duran Duran (UK), Tina Dickow (Denmark), Rocky Dawuni (Ghana), Les Trois Accords (Quebec), Tokio Hotel (Germany), and many more. 

Earlier this year, the double album Instant Karma showcased 23 of the now 66 tracks and helped to focus global attention on the human rights crisis in Darfur. Yoko Ono generously granted Amnesty International the rights to all Lennon's post-Beatles songs and donated all music-publishing royalties to the project.  All artists recorded their versions of some of John Lennon's best-loved tracks for Amnesty International's global online music project.

More than four years have passed since the start of the crisis in Darfur. Killing, hunger, and disease have already caused the death of some 300,000 people, including up to 100,000 people killed in armed attacks.

The U.N. estimates that 4.2 million people--the majority of the Darfur population--now rely on humanitarian aid. They include 2.2 million facing a miserable future in camps for the displaced in Darfur and 230,000 who fled over the border to refugee camps in Chad. Killings, displacement, rape and hunger continue.

All proceeds from the sale of Instant Karma go to Amnesty International.

To learn more about Amnesty International's work on Darfur click here. 

Join our Vigil for Darfur at Lafayette Park (1608 H St NW, Washington, DC-across from the White House), from 12-1pm.   Hear Larry Cox, AIUSA Executive Director, Garelnabi Abusikin, a Darfuri human rights advocate, and other speakers urge President Bush to put Darfur at the top of his agenda by:

1. Ensuring full deployment of UN peacekeepers into Darfur by early 2008
2. Providing critical funding for peacekeeping operations and humanitarian assistance
3. Protecting conflict-affected civilians in Eastern Chad and Northeastern Central African Republic. 

Larry will also deliver half a million Global Petition signatures directly to the White House. 

Come out and support the fight for peace in Darfur!

Sign up to join the vigil here. 

Other ways to take action:

• Sign the global petition.
• Encourage your friends and family to sign the global petition!  It only takes a few minutes to spread the word. 
• Organize a walkabout in your neighborhood or campus to promote the global petition. 

 Hope to see you there!

Tiffany

"Rendition" is a film centered around Egyptian born El-Ibrahimi held by the CIA as a suspected terrorist, and features the people affected by and responsible for his disappearance.  "Rendition" premieres today Friday, October 19th.  To show support of the film and its criticism of the U.S.-led rendition program Amnesty International co-hosted a screening on Capital Hill on Monday.  Amnesty International calls for accountability for the grave human rights violations associated with the rendition program including illegal transfers, torture or ill-treatment, arbitrary detention and forced "disappearance." 

Check out the blog entries about other individuals affected by this program. 

You can urge your Senator with a petition through Amnesty International's Denounce Torture website.  To find out more about this and restoring Habeaus Corpus to America go to the Denounce Torture website. 

You can find out more about the meaning of "extraordinary rendition" and its history from Wikipedia.  Extraordinary Rendition

AI Director Larry Cox with Actors Omar Metwally and Peter Saarsgard at the screening on Capitol Hill

The human rights situation in Sri Lanka has deteriorated dramatically in recent months, as escalating violence has resulted in widespread human rights abuses. Increased fighting between government security forces and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) since April 2006 has resulted in the death and injury of scores of civilians, the displacement of more than 200,000 people, and the destruction of homes, schools and places of worship. Neither the security forces nor the LTTE appear to be taking adequate measures to protect civilian lives. The two parties to the conflict say they remain committed to the 2002 ceasefire agreement; however, analysts refer to the situation on the ground as an undeclared war. Over two decades of conflict in Sri Lanka have claimed the lives of more than 65,000 people, the majority of them civilians.

You can take action by writing your representative about our concerns in Sri Lanka. 

To learn more about this situation please visit our website. 

Hear a radio program about a Sri Lankan human rights activist, Rajani Thiranagama, who was believed to be killed by a Tamil Tiger in 1989. 

Then join other human rights activists, faith communities, interfaith groups, and others in your community to observe the National Weekend of Faith in Action (NWFA).  The weekend of October 19-21 gives people around the U.S. to come together in solidarity and examine the death penalty from a faith-based or values-based perspective.

Last year 549 faith communities, interfaith and human rights groups, coalitions, and individuals participated in the NWFA, representing at least 25 different faith traditions or spiritual practices. These traditions included Catholic, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, United Methodist, Unitarian Universalist, Buddhist, Reform Judaism, Baptist, and Quaker, among others. Interfaith groups further enriched the overall diversity of the NWFA.

Set aside some time this weekend for an activity or event that focuses on the death penalty issue, using the ideas and resources provided by Amnesty International USA as your guide.

Don't have the capacity to organize an event or activity?  You CAN STILL BE INVOLVED!  Many of the NWFA events and activities taking placing throughout the country are open to the public. Click here to look for events that might be taking place in your community.

Student activists,

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the Stop Violence Against Women Campaign and you can join groups around the country to end domestic violence here and abroad. 

Check back every week

Every week in October, we'll present another action about domestic violence in Europe.

Send Pillow Petitions

This Action is to benefit the women of Russia, Domestic Violence Awareness Month's first area of focus. 

Back up your message by gathering pillow cases and asking your group members or people to come to your table to write messages on the pillow cases. Display your pillow case petitions as a supplement to the Clothesline Petition. After you're finished using them in your community send them to AIUSA's Office in Washington DC. We will deliver them to officials.

Download the Action Guide: http://www.amnestyusa.org/women/russia/russiadvactionguide.pdf for more information on how to create, display and send pillow case petitions.

Get Informed-AI as a Resource

You can find out where individual countries stand on this issues by looking at Amnesty International's Annual Report for 2007. 

We hope you can help out with SVAW's Domestic Violence Awareness campaign this month.  Also, if you are attending a regional conference this month, this could be a great way to gather more information and jumpstart your group on this issue!  

Thanks,

Allison 

Just a reminder, to kick off the 86 Days of Action campaign against torture on October 17th, we're asking activists to publicly demonstrate against the Military Commissions Act (MCA). The MCA, signed in October 2006, strips the right of habeas corpus from any foreign national in US custody that the President designates an "enemy combatant." It also created an unfair military commissions system to try foreign nationals that would allow evidence obtained through coercion and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment - evidence not previously allowed in any US court. However, there are several pieces of legislation in Congress that would fix some of the worst aspects of the MCA.

Luckily there are a whole bunch of events going on for October 17th. Take a look at this online calendar for a listing of some of the events in your area. Amnesty International local and student groups will be holding demonstrations, vigils, protests, and all sorts of events to bring attention to the human rights violations signed into law by the President that have drastically affected the lives of people in US custody.

So check out the calendar, and get to these events! And in the mean time, sign the "America I Believe In" pledge online at http://www.tearitdown.org and encourage all your friends to sign it as well!

 -Tiffany

On-Campus Film Festivals

Some AIUSA college campuses are hosting On-Campus Film Festivals this fall.  Come out and connect with your local college chapter and learn how you could host your own Amnesty International On-Campus Film Festival!  Here are the dates so far:

University of South Carolina:  Oct 22-25

Florida Atlantic University:  Oct 29-30

University of Wyoming, Laramie:  Nov 2-3

University of Delaware:  Nov 5-9

Georgia Institute of Technology:  Nov 12-16

University of California, Berkely:  Nov 13-15

The College of Wooster:  Dec 1-2

You dont have to be an AI chapter to participate, but just a student-activist interested in using film to raise awareness about human rights issues.  Notify your local college chapter if you want to help out or encourage them to host their own.  Feel free to write any questions on the blog page or email me at ocff@aiusa.org

Thanks,

Allison

Hello fellow activists,

Only with a large network of members and leaders can Amnesty International USA function as it does.  One of the key components to remaining a strong organization is having a forum to meet and share ideas and initiatives.  This is why we are excited to remind you of our Regional Conferences which will begin October 19th.  The conferences are being planned for the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, South, Midwest, and West in the following cities:
Boston, MA
Baltimore, MD
South Miami, FL
Omaha, NE
San Francisco, CA

To find out more information about dates and location, check out the regional conferences webpage for contact numbers and more info on how you can attend.   We hope you can make it!

-Allison

P.S. On the same page, you can sign up for email reminders of other events in your area. 

On October 24, United Nations Day, AIUSA's Executive Director and Advocacy Director for Africa will deliver half a million Global Petition signatures directly to the White House. Join other AIUSA activists in Washington, DC to vigil outside the meeting. By mobilizing on UN day, you will be reinforcing the urgent message we are sending to the White House:

There can be no more delays, the U.S. government must take immediate and effective action to ensure the full deployment of UN peacekeepers into Darfur by early 2008, including adequate funding for peacekeepers and humanitarian assistance in Darfur, Chad and CAR.

Come out and support the fight for peace in Darfur!

Sign up to join the vigil here. 

Other ways to take action:

• Sign the global petition.
• Encourage your friends and family to sign the global petition!  It only takes a few minutes to spread the word. 
• Organize a walkabout in your neighborhood or campus to promote the global petition.  There are still two more weeks to take action!

To learn more about United Nations Day click here. 

 Hope to see you there,

Tiffany

Just a reminder-in two weeks, on October 16th, the Presidential Candidates' Town Hall Meeting on Africa will take place at the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, DC.  Don't miss this opportunity to get informed about Barack Obama's and Bill Richard's positions on Africa issues.   

Howard F. Jeter, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation, the organization sponsoring the event, points out the importance of Africa to U.S. interests, "Africa's natural resources are vital to the world economy.  Africa has a distinct impact on the global environment and the weather patterns that affect the United States and other countries.  Moreover, Africa is a storehouse of strategic minerals important to the United States and is a continent whose stability affects the international political scene." 

For more information:

• http://www.thesullivanfoundation.org/foundation/news/events/index.asp
Be an Educated Voter.