| SAN ANTONIO, Nov. 7, 2007 - Against a backdrop of several student presentations at Trinity University on the genocide in Darfur, Trinity president John R. Brazil has directed investment managers not to invest in companies that benefit from or contribute to the civil war in Sudan.
Brazil emphasized that the University does not want its policies to become politicized, but he said there is no other side to the human catastrophe occurring in Darfur. He credited Trinity students for providing information about the disaster as playing a role in his decision.
Kaitlyn Allen, a senior from Houston who is majoring in international studies, was among the Trinity students applauding the investment directive. “This is the kind of action that sends a message to the world,” she said.
During the month of October, current and former Trinity students shared film documentaries to give a human face to the Darfur tragedy and hosted a talk by Darfur refugees to discuss their first-hand accounts of genocide.
On Oct. 29, three survivors of the genocide in Sudan’s western region of Darfur told their stories as part of the Save Darfur Coalition’s Voices from Darfur national speaking tour. The presentation included a documentary portraying torture, slaughter, and other violence.
“People everywhere need to see what is happening in Darfur,” said Daoud Hari, one of the speakers. “I am here today because there is hope. There is hope because people around the world who care about Darfur are asking their governments to take action.”
“The Voices from Darfur tour seeks to ensure that the millions of Darfurians affected by this genocide do not go unheard,” said Jordan Travis, director of social responsibility for Trinity University Volunteer Action Community (TUVAC). “It is my hope that those attending today will not forget what they heard, but instead use what they have learned to spread awareness and become a voice for the people of Darfur.”
Launched in the summer of 2007, Voices from Darfur highlights speakers such as Hari, who fled his village in 2003 after months of bombings by his own government. Hari risked his life as a translator for The New York Times, BBC, and National Geographic, among others and was arrested in Sudan on false espionage charges while translating for Chicago Tribune reporter Paul Salopek in Darfur in 2006. After 35 days in jail, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson negotiated Hari and Salopek’s release. Soon thereafter, the United States government granted Hari refugee status.
Also in October, Victoria Smith ’06, a San Antonio native who majored in political science and economics, screened a different documentary about the violence in Darfur and spoke about her recent experience with refugees in Chad, the African nation just west of Sudan where many Darfur natives flee. The genocide has spread into Chad, she said, describing her trip as “an eye-opening experience. I saw one paved road the whole time I was there.”
For more information, contact the Office of University Communications at 210-999-8406.
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