HHS STAND DC Trip '13 - Day 2

Sunday, we got up early, and left the hotel at 645 (545 by yesterday's time) to walk up Wilson Boulevard to Clarendon Square. After a wonderful breakfast at the Silver Diner, we walked over to George Mason University (Arlington Campus) which was hosting the summit. We registered and after a few words of greeting, we broke up into five groups for the first three breakout sessions. The first two allowed us to listen to presentations from a variety of Sudanese attending the summit - giving us direct accounts of the atrocities being committed in Darfur, Nuba Mountains, Blue Nile, and other regions. They clearly described the current approach of the Bashir regime to divide and destroy the marginalized peoples of Sudan - predominantly African peoples being oppressed by the Arabized central government. One of the most fascinating parts was the question period of each presentation which precipitated discussions among the Sudanese of various backgrounds. The summit really feels like part of a process of helping the marginalized peoples of Sudan come together to resist the brutal policies of Bashir. [Hannah and Bianca with Bahar Arabie - check out his book on Darfur] The last breakout session covered topics such as social media, lobbying, and arresting Bashir. After lunch, we met in the auditorium for a series of expert panels. The first may have been the most fascinating as representatives of four resistance organizations in Sudan discussed their experiences and strategies - these are the folks who are on the front lines literally of the struggle. After a couple panels, we walked back down Wilson Blvd to the Hyatt, and after some pizza, got picked up by our Royal Tour bus for the night monument tour. We were lucky to have picked the nicest evening of the year so far - they lifted the sides on the bus - at least for the first half of the tour. We got to see the White House, the FDR memorial, Lincoln, Korea, Vietnam, Iwo Jima. The highlight for me was my first visit to the MLK Memorial.