Students prodded legislators to act

Congratulations to the tenacious members of Wichita East High School’s Darfur Action Group for getting their message across to the Legislature about the genocide in Darfur. Their lobbying helped persuade the Senate and, last week, the House to pass the bill divesting the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System from companies tied to the Sudanese government. It puts Kansas among the states putting pressure on Sudan to stop enabling the slaughter. Anyone who still doubts the horror of this crisis — or the need for state lawmakers to respond — can hear one of the “lost boys” of Sudan, Valentino Achak Deng, speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday at East, 2301 E. Douglas.
Posted by Rhonda Holman

7 Comments

  1. JWink
    Posted May 1, 2007 at 6:27 am | Permalink

    Congratulations EAST HIGH student activists. I hope to attend.

  2. Jed
    Posted May 1, 2007 at 11:10 am | Permalink

    Good for the kids of East High! Now that they’ve found that they can make a difference in the world, maybe they’ll keep after it! It’s about time for a new generation of activists.

  3. ksgrm
    Posted May 1, 2007 at 11:14 am | Permalink

    This is enlightening that a group of students have taken action and achieved a good end. Money or the love of it shouldn’t drive our retirement machine. Compassion needs to be a very real issue.

  4. Econ101
    Posted May 1, 2007 at 6:07 pm | Permalink

    What is happening in Darfur and Sudan is awful — but China has much to do with the mess and we won’t do anything negative to China over China’s Africa policy.

    Again, KPERS could, as a shareholder, demand certain things at stockholder meetings. KPERS could introduce resolutions at stockholder meetings that address the problems at hand.

    Now, the Sudan stock that KPERS holds will have to be sold to someone LESS morally superior than the Kansas Legislature.

  5. Kev
    Posted May 1, 2007 at 6:55 pm | Permalink

    Proud to be an ACE Always!

  6. Econ101
    Posted May 1, 2007 at 7:05 pm | Permalink

    KevMy East 30 yr Reunion is in July.

  7. JWink
    Posted May 1, 2007 at 9:26 pm | Permalink

    I attended part of the Darfur meeting earlier this evening at East High. It was handled very well by the students’ Darfur Action Group. Valentino Achuk Deng told an amazing story of his youth, education in adjoining Kenya and look back on the atrocities being committed in his home country.

    As I understand it, Darfur is a region located in northwest Sedan. As usual, the problems include clash of cultures/religion and no money available to the Darfur natives so they have no defense against brutality of the worst kind.

    And to complicate it all, now oil is being produced in the country with the help of the Chinese … so, of course, no sign of help from the United States.