Barbara Lee's Remarks for Rally to End Genocide in Darfur
(Oakland, CA) – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) will address the rally in San Francisco on Sunday as part of the National Day of Conscience for Darfur. Her remarks (as prepared) follow.
Lee, who is the most senior Democratic woman on the House International Relations Committee, where she serves on the Africa Subcommittee, has been a leader in the effort to end the genocide in Darfur. She was an original cosponsor of both the resolution to declare the situation in Darfur a genocide and the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act, which the House just passed. She has also been a leading voice in the growing national movement to divest state pension funds and university endowments from companies whose business in Sudan is supporting the genocide.
“I want to thank all of you for your conscience and your commitment to ending this genocide in Darfur. Your voice can and will make the difference in this fight.
“12 years ago, the world stood by as almost one million people were slaughtered in Rwanda. We must never, NEVER let another Rwanda take place. Never again and not on our watch.
“On an average day in Darfur tens of thousands of innocent civilians face the threat of torture, starvation, rape, and being uprooted from their homes, families, and livelihoods.
“Already an estimated 400,000 have died, nearly 3 million have been displaced, and millions more have been terrorized in the ongoing genocide that is being carried out by the Government of Sudan and the Janjaweed
“Nearly two years ago, on June 24th, 2004, I stood with the Congressional Black Caucus, Leader Pelosi and others and introduced H CON RES 467, declaring that genocide was occurring in Darfur, Sudan and that the Government of Sudan is responsible -- the same government which harbored Osama bin Laden.
“Tragically, and to our own shame, the genocide continues today – almost two years later -- unabated.
“When I traveled to the region with my colleagues and Don Cheadle in January 2005, the refugees we met in the camps on the Darfur – Chad border told us very clearly of the coordinated attacks by the government and the Janjaweed.
“The children drew pictures, depicting the government planes bombing villages, while the militias rode in on horseback to rape and slaughter.
“When I returned to Sudan this past February on a delegation with Leader Pelosi, Congressman George Miller, and others, it was clear that the situation is only getting worse.
“Just weeks ago, the House passed the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act, which is an important step, but we must do more.
“To end the genocide, we must use every tool possible to prevent the Khartoum government from acting with impunity - including hitting them where it counts: in the pocket book.
“That’s why I have been working over the past two years to get our public pension funds to divest from companies doing business in Sudan. Because I believe that no one should have to worry that their retirement funds are supporting genocide.
“And you should know that many of my Bay Area colleagues, including George Miller, Lynn Woolsey, Tom Lantos and Nancy Pelosi have joined me in my efforts to push CalPERS and CalSTRS to ensure genocide free pensions.
“I’m proud to report that we are making real progress. Earlier this month, CalSTR’s board voted in support of a motion put forward by another one of my partners in the divestment movement, State Treasurer Phil Angelides, expressing its intention to divest the fund’s holding in companies doing business in Sudan.
“And of course we worked with STAND to move the University of California to adopt its divestment plan. And this movement is growing everyday.
“We must make sure that our pension plans here our voice: we do not want blood on our hands.
“Illinois, New Jersey and Oregon already have divested state funds and California, Connecticut, Georgian, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, Indiana, Iowa, Rhode Island, and Texas are considering divestment legislation.
“Amherst, Brown, Dartmouth, Harvard, Samford, and Stanford, and Yale have divested or placed restrictions on investments in their funds.
“And at the national level, next week I’ll be introducing a prohibiting multinational companies doing business in Sudan from receiving U.S. contracts and establishing support for state and university divestment efforts.
“So, we must keep up the pressure on our pension funds, our Universities, this administration, and the international community. Our motto should be: not another dime to enrich the killers in Khartoum!
“We can not fail in our efforts.
“Thanks to the incredible work you are doing we are making progress and we can and will put an end to the killing and suffering.”
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