however, we retained a characteristic African-American mass-culture and independent sector skepticism about how the situation was to be rectified. As stated in our White Paper below, “We speak for ourselves out of humanitarian concern for the plight of the Darfurian refugees, women and children and others facing hardships as a consequence of the widespread aggression and murders, rape and physical violence against vulnerable people in that region. We recognize the role of national and global actors as contributing to the crisis, as they jockey for direct and indirect control over the regions’ resources.” We also recognize the importance of long-term factors, particularly the impact of climate change in triggering conflict between nomads and farmers in that Sub-Saharan region.
Nile Valley Conference II, held at Morehouse College in September 2011, where Dr. Abdalla was among the over 100 presenters. We have been invited to a seminar on ancient and contemporary society in Northern Sudan, which we look forward to accepting because we feel that Nile Valley history can be a point of identification for African and African-American scholars as we develop relationships to address contemporary issues of making peace in Sudan. We also envision the start of a course entitled, “Africa and Islam,” which will focus on North Africa and the Sudan, including the Sahel. Najwa Gadaheldam has played a vital role in initiating some components of this curriculum for spring 2013 at West Virginia Wesleyan College, one of the ACA institutions which are part of the MFCI.
The second major outcome was the decision by the AUCThe GCLC began with an initiative that supported the GCLC to visit the Sudan ourselves. We formed a small broadening of resources available to HBCUs (and other delegation with Conscience International, a US-based minority-serving institutions).1 If this initiative is to NGO, in response to the invitation by Ms. Gadaheldam, have lasting impact, the AUC-GCLC will have to find the Bridge Program, an, International NGO in Sudan, and additional sources of support. Why should the US policy the Sudanese Council on International Affairs, to serve as leaders support this effort? There are several important Referendum Observers for the vote which would decide reasons. The HBCUs bring critical capacity to addressing the unity or separation of the Sudan, and to participate the fundamental issues of identity formation which in the conference, “Peace in the are linked to effective poverty Sudan: An American Civil Society alleviation because one of the Perspective,” in January 2011. The diversity of the American big barriers to self-sufficiency Our group visited eleven polling population can be viewed as an asset is self-alienation and inferiority stations in Juba in the South in establishing mutually beneficial complexes. Further, rather than and in East Khartoum. We met relationships globally. viewing the mobilization of ethnic with several high level officials, communities in the United States including the Minister of Foreign as a source of skewing foreign Affairs for Sudan, Dr. Ali Karti, MPs, women’s groups, and policy or irrational “homeland” commitments, the local community leaders. We attended the opening day experience and standpoint of racial/ethnic groups provide ceremonies in Juba, and met with the Chief of Staff for the US with a comparative advantage of human capital – the Cabinet of the President of Southern Sudan, as well as knowledge and skills in peaceful civil and human rights the Minister of Information, and were greeted by the US attainment. The diversity of the American population delegation, including Senate Foreign Relations Committee can be viewed as an asset in establishing mutually Chair, John Kerry, General Scott Gratian, actor and civil beneficial relationships globally. In the context of Africa, society activist George Clooney, and several AU and EU the Caribbean and Latin America, the African-American representatives. While in Sudan, we met with several community can serve as a bridge to international opposition groups to assist in establishing peace and show communities faced with similar challenges. It can result historical support for all parties involved. The AUC-GCLC in a policy outcome for the United States of long-term, provided a connection with the daughter of Martin Luther voluntary engagement, cultural exchange and diffusion, King, Jr., who was kind enough to provide a five minute for making peace permanent. video on peaceful movements. It was established that the referendum was free and fair and met international What follows is the original policy statement and critique standards. made by the AUC-GCLC, prior to participation in the referendum. The statement was the product of a series The third component to our stay was the establishment of of seminars across the campuses and strategic GCLC educational collaboration, which resulted in meeting with meetings involving fourteen scholars and community three major universities in Khartoum and the Nile Valley activists six months after the Salzburg Seminar. Concern University (NVU) in the northern, Nile River State. We about the Sudan had been galvanized by the Save Darfur focused attention on joint exchange in ancient Sudanese movement, whose media campaign highlighted the history of Kush and Nubia. In April 2011, we were able to suffering in this western region of Sudan, and also led to host the Chancellor of NVU and Dr. Abdelgadir Abdalla, a renowned scholar for the AUC annual Africa Awareness 1 Native American, Latino, Appalachian, and Community serving colleges Week, prior to the major international conference, The and universities were also supported.
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