Twice in the final weeks of May, one of Arizona’s most liberal lawmakers gave brief floor speeches actually praising President Bush.
The United States, Rep. Kyrsten Sinema said, is taking the right steps by imposing economic sanctions on Sudan because of the continuing genocide in Darfur.
“He should have done it five months ago, but at least he’s doing it now,” she said of the president’s recent stand against the African nation.
With the legislative session winding down as leaders work to forge a budget compromise between the House and Senate, Sinema says she wants to do something constructive with the down time. So she will host a seminar aimed at educating people about the Darfur conflict June 6.
“We’ve got a good three weeks before the budget’s done — why not do something that will have an impact on the world?” she said. “We’re spending taxpayer dollars here every day. Why not spend it on something useful, like educating people on genocide?”
The seminar will include a history of the conflict in Sudan, film clips about the Lost Boys of Sudan and the Darfur genocide, as well as speakers who have lived through the conflict. There will also be information provided for people who want to become active in stopping the genocide.
Fighting has left 450,000 dead
Since fighting began in 2003, the United Nations estimates the conflict has left as many as 450,000 dead from violence and disease.
Sinema says she is amazed that more people don’t know what is going on in Darfur and lays the blame for that at the feet of the media, which she says focus on celebrity news in lieu of world events.
“You know what was on [CNN] this morning? An interview with Britney Spears about Lindsay Lohan. There was nothing about Darfur,” she said.
The impetus for the seminar, she says, was reading “Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond,” by Don Cheadle and John Prendergast. One suggestion the book gave was to teach people about the genocide in Darfur. Coupled with her interest in African human rights issues — Sinema lived near Mombassa, Kenya, for a year while working for a non-profit organization — getting active in Darfur and teaching others about the genocide was the next logical step, she says.
The Darfur seminar marks the second informational forum Sinema has organized at the Legislature since January. In March, she arranged for the Anti-Defamation League and local law enforcement officers to speak to the public about the involvement white supremacist and other hate groups have in the illegal immigration debate.
Using her platform as a lawmaker to educate people, Sinema said, is part and parcel with representing constituents during legislative business.
“You have an open forum,” she said. “What better use of your title as a legislator than to call attention to issues…that are not receiving the real spotlight they should be receiving.
“I think that’s one of our duties as legislators.”
FYI
The seminar will be June 6, 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., in House Hearing Room 1.