I have never met John Schmidt but, today, I would like to shake his hand and thank him for his words. Today, in our local paper, the Cincinnati Enquirer, his letter to the editor appeared and it was a breath of fresh air.

In this letter, Schmidt makes in plain about America’s pure disinterest in the deaths (and lives) of black people. He clearly states that the reason that the genocide in Darfur receives so little attention is because, regardless of where they live, black peoples’ lives are seen as unimportant or, as my favorite talk show host Joe Madison would say, we are “undervalued, underestimated and marginalized.” I’m really not doing Schmidt’s words justice so, I reprint some of what he stated here. I encourage you to check out the letter in its entirety.

Over the past several months, George Clooney has waged a fruitless effort to engage America in coming to the relief of Darfur. Sorry, George, but Americans don’t really care what happens to sub-Saharan Africa. After all, we’re talking about black populations. And we really aren’t interested in any details concerning black deaths.

All one has to do is read The Enquirer, which reports local African-American deaths from violence as a ho-hum event. Just another statistic. But hold on, if a white person, particularly a woman, was killed in some horrific way, such as a murder or a victim of a drunk driver going the wrong way on an expressway, well, that’s front page news - to be stretched out for as many days as deemed necessary to satiate the palates of readers.

After all, the demographics of Enquirer readers are such that there’s really little interest in black people being killed locally or in Darfur, and more interest in who got killed from Hyde Park or Indian Hill or some other predominantly white neighborhood.

So too, is there quiet acquiescence to the Darfur tragedy throughout this country. America has little concern for the calamity that has befallen African-Americans in the South due to Hurricane Katrina, or for black people killed in Over-the-Rhine. We seem to care more for the death of a pretty white girl 10 years ago in Colorado than for the hundreds of thousands who have died in Sudan.

And rest assured, if the murderer of JonBonet Ramsey were captured or identified, that would be the major news story for days in all the major newspapers and on all the major cable news channels, while at the same time, hundreds or thousands of more black Africans may be killed and go unreported.

So, once again: Sorry, George, but Africans dying in Darfur is just not our cup of tea. Whether or not, as the New York Times reported in September, the number of deaths in Darfur has been estimated at between 250,000 and 400,000, the news that we apparently want to hear about is who is the latest white victim of a crime.

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I’ve said it before and I still stand by it — the genocide in Darfur, Sudan is fueled by a lust for oil. In 2005, articles appeared that reported on Sudan’s deals that gave access to the ABCO corporation to drill in Darfur. That’s when many knew that there was more to this conflict than a conflict between the government and rebel factions.

Then, today, I read that Sudan is undergoing an economic boom due to oil revenue. Presumably, this is referring to oil deals in areas outside of Darfur, as well but, this does give some insight into why the Darfur region is of interest to Khartoum.

Sudan only began exporting crude oil in 1999, but this year it is expected to earn between $4 billion and $5 billion in oil revenue, said Abdul Rahim Hamdi, a former finance minister who still advises the government on economic matters.

The economy grew by 12 percent in 2006, the International Monetary Fund says — up from 8 percent the year before — and over $2.3 billion in direct foreign investment poured in last year, a nearly 50 percent rise from 2004.

This striking growth may seem like a hopeful sign for this African nation, which bears the scars of many wars and famines.

But some fear this sudden affluence may allow Sudan’s government to ignore the threat of sanctions from the West, which so far has not been able to persuade Khartoum to allow U.N. peacekeepers into Darfur.

The old adage is true. If you want to find out the reason behind anything, follow the money.

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Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir is now telling the world, “Who are you going to believe? Me…or your lying eyes?”

In a genocide where estimates of death range between 200,000 to 400,000+, Bashir says that the actual number of deaths is only around 9,000 and is rejecting a U.N. security council’s resolution to send in 22,500 U.N. troops to take over from the 7,000 African Union troops already in the region.

Bashir is also saying that the aid workers in region are lying about the level of violence in order to keep their jobs there and that the refugee camps in which an estimated 2,000,000 Darfurians find themselves in after having to flee their homes are “perfectly safe”.

I am always amazed at how people in high authority can lie even when the facts point in the totally opposite direction. I can only hope that Bashir’s days in office are numbered.

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The Janjaweed militias, as you know, are primary actors in the genocide going on in Sudan. It is estimated that these militias have killed between 200,000 to 400,000+ Darfurians. If one can’t imagine it, think of everyone inside the city limits of Cincinnati, Ohio being killed. The Janjaweed have also displaced about 2,000,000 people and have raped girls as young as eight years old.

This has all gone on with the blessing and support of the Sudanese government who want the region for both the land leases/rights it could sell to interested bidders and for the oil beneath the land. With riches in the equation, the lives that will be sacrificed to attain them seemingly matter little.

Now, as the eyes of the world focus on Sudan’s government more and more, the Sudanese government has supposedly stop funding and supporting the Janjaweed. However,somebody in Sudan’s government is calling these claims false.

Minni Minnawi, a former rebel leader and current advisor to the Sudanese president, says that the government is still backing the Janjaweed and is calling on his government to desist.

Six months ago, Minnawi was the only rebel leader to sign a peace accord with the government. It appears that he may be regretting that decision as he sees the government does not seem to be interested in ending the genocide and, in fact, has actually made the Janjaweed even more powerful, not less.

It’s a shame. As we continue to was lives and resources in Iraq, just think of the real good we could be doing to help stop a genocide.

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As the world looks the other way, the genocide in the Darfur region of the Sudan is now spilling over and affecting its neighbors in Chad.

Janjaweed militiamen, who are back by the Sudanese government, apparently crossed the border into Chad last week and killed as many as 200 people in three regions in that country.

This has cause Chad to declare a state of emergency.

The Janjaweed, in their mindless hatred and government loyalty, are hunting down Darfurians, 200,000 of which fled over the border to Chad. As a result, the people of Chad have become targets in this conflict, as well.

I wonder how many more will have to die before the West realizes that these are real human lives being snuffed out.

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Now that election distractions are over, let’s hope our country focuses on one of the greatest human tragedies today — the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. Today, I highlight the organization “Save Darfur”.

On their website, they call for the following:

President George Bush:

Every day, the 2.5 million people chased from their homes in Darfur face the threat of starvation, disease, and rape, while the few lucky enough to remain in their homes risk displacement, torture and murder. Therefore, we call on you to do the following:

• Strengthen the understaffed and overwhelmed African Union peackeeping force already in Darfur.
• Push for the deployment of a strong UN peacekeeping force.
• Increase humanitarian aid and ensure access for aid delivery.
• Establish a no-fly zone.

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Evangelicals for Darfur is a group of evangelical leaders who are calling for an end to the ongoing genocide in Darfur. This group is comprised of people across the political spectrum because to them,
“…in matters of life and death, there is no left or right, there is only right and wrong.”

Here’s the form letter they are asking participants to send to President Bush:

We come to you from across the evangelical spectrum. We beseech you to act on your faith and do the right thing by leading the world to stop the genocide affecting “the least of these” in Darfur. To date, more than 400,000 people have been killed. 2.5 million displaced. Countless more have been raped, maimed, and tortured: Men, women, and children created in God’s image, innocents all. Ending the atrocities will require your personal leadership in supporting the deployment of a strong U.N. peacekeeping force and multilateral economic sanctions. While we often disagree on matters of politics, we are united in the belief that your intervention can make the critical difference in Darfur. We join together now to urge you, in the words of Proverbs 24:11-12, to “rescue those being led away to death.” We pledge to do everything we can to rally support in both Congress and the U.N. to support your leadership in ending the horror in Darfur.

Also, check out the radio ad that they have out in support of their cause. It’s heartening to see that we are seeing a side to the evangelical movement that doesn’t involve megachurches or political posturing.

 

 Evangelicals for Darfur [1:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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I give credit where credit is due. Arnold Schwarzenegger has done what most black colleges have failed to do. He has signed a bill that will ban the state’s pension funds from investing in companies that do business with the Sudan.

This sends a huge message out about the level of commitment, in some corners, to end this crisis as California has the largest state pension fund in the country.

State funds managers say that any investments in the Sudan would already be small but, what this does is place greater pressure on the governors of other states, who have not already done so, to call for similar measures.

If we can’t appeal to the humanity of people, we must hit them where they do feel it — in their wallets.

I never thought I would say this but, kudos to Gov. Schwarzenegger.

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On Monday, I posted that Darfur is still a crisis. In it I spoke of how we, in this country, are ignoring what is going on in the Sudan. Well, today, I have to admit I was wrong. Our government’s leadership is fully aware of what is going on in the Sudan but, some are actively blocking efforts to help stop the atrocities.

Indiana Senator Richard Lugar, head of the foreign relations committee, has put forward a new draft of the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act that, effectively, takes the teeth out of the act by doing away with support for a divestment effort. Read More… »

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As you should know, a genocide is raging in Darfur, Sudan.

Estimates say that between 200,000 - 400,000 people have been killed and over 2.5 million people have been driven from their homes. Men and boys are routinely killed and women and girls are mercilessly raped by the Janjaweed militias who are backed by the Sudanese government.

Why is this happening?

There are a myriad of factors at play here but, I would have to say that the factor that trumps all of them is money. Read More… »

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