An AFT contingent joins the rally on the mall.

A large contingent of AFT members and staff were among the tens of thousands of people who gathered on the national Mall in Washington, D.C., on April 30 to call on the Bush administration to step up its efforts to end the genocidal violence in Darfur.

More than 400,000 people have been killed and several million have been driven from their homes since militias backed by the Sudanese government began the violent campaign in Darfur in 2003.

AFT vice presidents Ruby Newbold and Laura Rico and participants in the AFT PSRP conference that took place in Washington, D.C., over the weekend were among those who joined the demonstration. Members of the paraprofessional chapter of the Baltimore Teachers' Union arrived by bus to participate, along with staff from the AFT's national office. "We are here to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Darfur," Rico said in an interview with ABC radio. "We want to end the violence and stop the genocide."

The AFT was among the sponsors of the rally as part of the Save Darfur Coalition, which represents more than 150 humanitarian, religious, civic and labor groups. Among the speakers to address the crowd were Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel, U.S. Rep. Donald Payne (D-N.J.), Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), recording executive Russell Simmons and Academy Award-winning actor George Clooney.

Musue N. Haddad, an intern in the AFT International Affairs Department, wrote a brief article on the Save Darfur rally for FrontPageAfrica.com. [Musue Haddad, Gregory King/Photo by Musue Haddad]

May 2, 2006