March 04, 2005
The CBC “Message to America” is distributed nationwide to the American Urban Radio Network’s (AURN) affiliate stations.
Representative Lee will deliver the following remarks: (Broadcast Quality MP3)
“This is Congresswoman Barbara Lee from Oakland, California with an important message about the genocide taking place in Darfur, Sudan.
“In 1994 the world stood by while almost a million people were slaughtered in Rwanda.
“Our country and the international community pledged that we would never again stand idly by in the face of genocide.
“Now, little more than a decade later, the world is standing by again while another brutal and unnecessary genocide unfolds in Darfur
“Over the last 18 months, the Sudanese government and the government supported janjaweed militias have conducted a systematic campaign of violence against the civilian population of Darfur. It is estimated that more than 200,000 people have died as a result of the conflict. Almost two million people have been violently displaced.
“In January, I traveled to the region with a bipartisan group of lawmakers and Oscar nominated actor Don Cheadle, from the acclaimed film Hotel Rwanda. We visited the refugee camps in Sudan and neighboring Chad.
“We saw children whose parents had been killed, whose hands had been cut off by the Janjaweed. We met women and little girls who had been brutally raped. The refugees told us of the coordinated attacks, where government planes would bomb a village and the janjaweed would ride in to rape and slaughter the survivors.
“As was the case in Rwanda, the UN and the international community are failing to acknowledge this genocide and take decisive action to stop it. Efforts to impose UN sanctions on the Sudanese government have been blocked by Russia and China, whose business interests would be affected.
“This is simply unacceptable. It is time to act to stop the slaughter.
“In July of last year, Representative Don Payne and the Congressional Black Caucus led a bipartisan effort to get Congress to declare that genocide is taking place in Darfur. Now all of us must play a role in helping to end this horrible crisis.
“I urge all of you to call upon President Bush. Tell him to increase the diplomatic pressure on Russia and China to impose sanctions on Sudan to stop this violence. Ask him to push for a more robust peacekeeping force to stop the violence on the ground.
“Call on your members of Congress. They need to know this issue is important to you. Tell them to support strong accountability measures against Sudan in the House and Senate.
“Call your state legislators. State pension funds hold investments of almost $200 billion in companies doing business in Sudan. Ask your state lawmakers to make sure your state pensions are not indirectly supporting this genocide.
“We must learn from the lesson of Rwanda, and your voice is critical. Please join with the Congressional Black Caucus in working to stop the killing before it is too late.
“This is Congresswoman Barbara Lee, and I thank you for listening.”
MP3 Audio File
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Rep. Barbara Lee to Deliver Weekly CBC “Message to America”
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) will deliver the weekly CBC “Message to America” radio address this Saturday, March 5th, 2005. Representative Lee’s remarks address the ongoing genocide in Sudan and action people can take to help stop the violence.The CBC “Message to America” is distributed nationwide to the American Urban Radio Network’s (AURN) affiliate stations.
Representative Lee will deliver the following remarks: (Broadcast Quality MP3)
“This is Congresswoman Barbara Lee from Oakland, California with an important message about the genocide taking place in Darfur, Sudan.
“In 1994 the world stood by while almost a million people were slaughtered in Rwanda.
“Our country and the international community pledged that we would never again stand idly by in the face of genocide.
“Now, little more than a decade later, the world is standing by again while another brutal and unnecessary genocide unfolds in Darfur
“Over the last 18 months, the Sudanese government and the government supported janjaweed militias have conducted a systematic campaign of violence against the civilian population of Darfur. It is estimated that more than 200,000 people have died as a result of the conflict. Almost two million people have been violently displaced.
“In January, I traveled to the region with a bipartisan group of lawmakers and Oscar nominated actor Don Cheadle, from the acclaimed film Hotel Rwanda. We visited the refugee camps in Sudan and neighboring Chad.
“We saw children whose parents had been killed, whose hands had been cut off by the Janjaweed. We met women and little girls who had been brutally raped. The refugees told us of the coordinated attacks, where government planes would bomb a village and the janjaweed would ride in to rape and slaughter the survivors.
“As was the case in Rwanda, the UN and the international community are failing to acknowledge this genocide and take decisive action to stop it. Efforts to impose UN sanctions on the Sudanese government have been blocked by Russia and China, whose business interests would be affected.
“This is simply unacceptable. It is time to act to stop the slaughter.
“In July of last year, Representative Don Payne and the Congressional Black Caucus led a bipartisan effort to get Congress to declare that genocide is taking place in Darfur. Now all of us must play a role in helping to end this horrible crisis.
“I urge all of you to call upon President Bush. Tell him to increase the diplomatic pressure on Russia and China to impose sanctions on Sudan to stop this violence. Ask him to push for a more robust peacekeeping force to stop the violence on the ground.
“Call on your members of Congress. They need to know this issue is important to you. Tell them to support strong accountability measures against Sudan in the House and Senate.
“Call your state legislators. State pension funds hold investments of almost $200 billion in companies doing business in Sudan. Ask your state lawmakers to make sure your state pensions are not indirectly supporting this genocide.
“We must learn from the lesson of Rwanda, and your voice is critical. Please join with the Congressional Black Caucus in working to stop the killing before it is too late.
“This is Congresswoman Barbara Lee, and I thank you for listening.”
MP3 Audio File
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