I have had many discussions in the past few years about why people choose to look the other way about Darfur. Or about most part a majority of the human rights violations and mass atrocities around the world. I think many times it’s because if we know, we bear the moral responsibility to act. But […]
Author: Katie-Jay
Katie-Jay keeps i-ACT running on several levels. Much of her work entails coordinating partnerships with other grassroots organizations and implementing the campaigns developed by Gabriel and seeing through the details. She graduated from Portland State University with a BA in Sociology and a focus on Community Development. She has previously worked as a community organizer in Thailand, Guatemala, and with grassroots organizations across the United States.
At the Same Point in Time
I didn’t feel like writing a journal today. I am tired, short on sleep, and could use a good meal. When I saw the video from today, I cried. Not because we were challenged by an obstacle totally out of our control 10 minutes before we were supposed to be live and pulled it […]
Today, Thursday June 18, 2009, Secretary of State Clinton will be attending a special event for World Refugee Day in Washington D.C. with Angelina Jolie, Anderson Cooper, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Anontio Guterres. i-ACT will be bringing our friend Rahma from Chad, through video, to meet Secretary of State Clinton. You […]
Childhood Truth
When I was younger, and voicing my concerns about a situation, I would whine, “It’s not fair.” And my mother would simply state the truth, “life is not fair.” My complaints were trivial, but her answer could not have been more true. All the paths of a refugee camp end up looking the same. Especially […]
For seven years we have advocated on every level for new policies, new pressure points, for carrots and sticks that may shift or create change on the ground in Darfur. Yet the situation has only gotten worse, not better. As US Special Envoy to Sudan, General J Scott Gration bears the responsibility to personally hold […]
Sustainable Beauty
This environment is unforgiving. I have been in Chad during various seasons, and in June twice. This trip is one of the hottest I have experienced. An almost humid, but also dry heat that you just cannot escape or cool down from. When there is a breeze, you almost always miss it for one reason […]
During the Holocaust, there was a couple living in Germay who learned to the truth of what the Nazi regime was doing. For as long as they could, they left flyers in public places telling this truth. They didn’t know if it made a difference, but it was all they felt they could do. They […]
Dried Veins
As we fly from Abeche to Goz Beida, I begin to feel at ease; we are on our way and soon will be among old friends. This journey is now familiar. Out my window in the plane, trees grow near dry tributaries that stretch across the sand like the veins of a drying country. Small […]
It feels a little strange to say that I have come here five times now in less than two years. Even though my gut told me differently, my mind and heart truly wanted to believe that by my fifth trip, we would be walking across the border, back to Darfur, watching our friends return home […]
Every i-ACT, the team asks ourselves how we can create a personal connection between Darfur and the individuals of Darfur and you. How do we deepen your relationship? How do we give you the tools and resources to create the a personal relationship between your community and the survivors of Darfur? For the next 10 […]