Colby College Professor of Sociology Jonathan White called students to action at the Darfur Teach-In Thursday evening and urged them to work together to end conflict and human rights abuses in Sudan.
"There's a massive university movement that is taking place," White said. "It is student action from the United States that led the way to the divestment movement. You have no right to say that you can't make a difference," he said.
The Darfur Teach-In, sponsored by Global Justice, Bowdoin Students for Democratic Socialism, Students for Peace, Hillel, and Americans for an Informed Democracy, was held in a filled-to-capacity Beam Classroom.
Leading the panel discussion alongside White were Assistant Professor of History David Gordon and Visiting Assistance Professor of Government Shelley Deane.
Gordon opened the discussion by providing historical background for the Darfur conflict, explaining, "The first cause of conflict is environmental, the intensity of conflict increased with draught and famine. Conflict became war, [and] the war encouraged groups to stage a wider rebellion against Sudan's central regime."
"The region needs peacekeepers, perhaps U.N. peacekeepers," Gordon continued. "A period of peace is necessary to begin to address the problems, but the structural problems make peace very difficult."
Deane took the stage as the second panelist, utilizing a PowerPoint presentation entitled "Darfur: Whose War is it Anyway?" Outlining the sources of conflict in Darfur, Deane cited the lack of natural resources, food scarcity, and ethnic and cultural conflict.
Deane went on to discuss the cost of the Darfur conflict, citing statistics that out of the Darfur population of six million, 2.5 million are affected by the conflict. According to Deane, another 1.65 million people have been displaced as a result of conflict, including 200,000 refugees in Chad.
She clarified that the figure of 70,000 deaths in Darfur is inaccurate because it reflects only deaths due to disease and malnutrition, not deaths directly resulting from the conflict in the region.
Deane also pointed out that despite the establishment of a peace agreement in Sudan, Darfur was excluded from it.
While the United Nations declared that it has a responsibility to become involved in the conflict to prevent the human rights abuses of the region, Deane said that challenges included the astronomical cost of intervention, troop extensions, the fact that Sudan is Africa's third largest oil producer, and connection between the Sudanese military intelligence commander and Al Qaeda.
Last to speak, White used Harvard University's activist movement to battle the Darfur conflict as an example of both student involvement in human rights movements and divestment in organizations invested in companies fueling the genocide that is taking place.
White also addressed the unusual fact that while the United States had labeled the Darfur conflict genocide, the international community has not. Usually, he said, the reverse is true.
"It has elements of genocide, which means we have a responsibility to take action, particularly as a superpower in the world," White said.
Sophomore Kate Chin said the teach-in opened her eyes to a number of opportunities to get involved.
"I learned a lot about the student organizations both on campus and around the world," Chine said.
Liza Cohen '08 agreed.
"It was inspiring to hear what students at other colleges have done," she said.