Join the MovementSign up to join the network of 30,000 working to end slavery

Sudanese Ex-Slave to Lead Protest of Sudan Genocide

Candlelight vigil at State House to protest genocide and support MA divestment bill

BOSTON — Activists from across Boston will gather for a candlelight vigil at the Massachusetts State House this Wednesday to protest the genocide led by the Sudanese regime against its own black African population. The vigil is one of many being organized across the country as part of the National Day of Action for Darfur and is scheduled to begin at 5:30 pm on Wednesday, September 21st.

An estimated 500,000 black Africans have been murdered in the western Darfur region of Sudan over the past two years, but the international community has failed to take strong action to stop the genocide.

Abuk Bak, who escaped from ten years of slavery as a child in Sudan, will be the vigil’s keynote speaker, appearing alongside student and community activists. Ms. Bak will talk about the crisis in Sudan and the need to support the Massachusetts divestment bill introduced last July by State Senator Andrea Nuciforo (D-Pittsfield).

“The Commonwealth's pension fund should not, in any way, be supporting companies that are contributing to the genocide in Sudan...and I encourage people across the state to contact their legislators to support Senate Bill 2166,” commented Nuciforo on the importance of the divestment legislation. If passed, the bill to divest more than $1.4 billion from companies operating in Sudan, will make Massachusetts the fourth state to pass such legislation, following Illinois, New Jersey, and Oregon.

The candlelight vigil, presented by the American Anti-Slavery Group (AASG), is co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur, My Sister's Keeper, Teens for Tzedek, the Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights, and various student groups.

See http://www.iAbolish.org/vigil or contact Lisa Fishbone at (617) 426-8161 for an interview.