Darfur Advocates Use Election Coverage to Spark Activism

The Save Darfur Coalition will take advantage of increased TV news audiences expected to watch election coverage today by kicking off a new campaign urging renewed activism to help end the genocide in Darfur. New television spots will debut on all three major broadcast networks as well as Fox News Channel and CNN.

"The new advertisements recapture attention for Darfur as the election season ends," says Save Darfur Coalition Coordinator David Rubenstein. "Americans from the across the political spectrum who have cared passionately about the elections should now channel their passion into ending the genocide in Darfur."

The 30-second spot, titled "Be Their Voice," will air all day and throughout the evening nationally on CNN and Fox News Channel and between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. on every network affiliate in the nation's top 11 media markets.

The "Be Their Voice" ad features Americans of diverse ages and backgrounds reading quotes from actual Darfur survivors. The ad encourages all Americans to speak for the 400,000 people in Sudan that have not lived to tell about the genocide that is taking place in Darfur.

The TV ads are accompanied by new interactive web tools at the group's website, savedarfur.org. Visitors to the site can learn more about the situation in Darfur, find out what they can do to advocate for Darfur, and participate in various online advocacy activities.

"Although the plight of the people in Darfur may seem far away, Americans can make a difference by keeping this issue atop the priorities of the nation," said Rubenstein. "Even though tonight marks the end of the US election cycle, the need for civic activism should not end."

Viewers are urged to visit the coalition's Web site -- http://releases.usnewswire.com/redir.asp?ReleaseID=75813&Link=http://www.savedarfur.org -- where they will find the tools to "Be Their Voice."

The Save Darfur Coalition is an alliance of 178 faith-based, advocacy and humanitarian organizations united to raise public awareness about the ongoing genocide in Darfur and to mobilize a unified response to the atrocities that threaten the lives of two million people in the Darfur region. The coalition's member organizations represent 130 million people of all ages, races, religions and political affiliations.