Next Meeting: Tuesday, April 3rd, 2007

Dear Darfur Supporters,

First of all, please note that future emails will come from a NEW email address: wmassdarfurcoalition@comcast.net. I've finally created an address solely for our group!!

The next meeting of the Western Mass. Coalition is: Tuesday, April 3rd at 7 pm -- at Fanny Rothschild's house at 26 Morgan Circle in Amherst.

Below are minutes from our last meeting in February.

MINUTES for Western MA. Darfur Coalition Meeting – Feb. 27, 2007

Fanny Rothschild’s, 7 pm

1. Update on situation on Darfur and Khartoum – Magda and Mohamed

2. Update on Darfur Peace and Accountability Bill in Congress and Senate

3. Divestment – brief update by Fanny on MA. divestment and Fidelity campaign

Although the MA. Sudan Divestment Bill still has no number, the first hearing has been rescheduled for Thurs., March 29th at 10:30 am in room B-2. Daniel, head of www.sudandivestment.org would like to pack the hearing room with supporters. Additionally, Eric Reeves and Mia Farrow have agreed to testify for the bill. We are hoping to have a press conference after the hearing with Senator Chandler and Representatives Augustus and Kaufman. Email Amos Irwin at aeirwin@amherst.edu if you would like a ride in the Amherst College van to this hearing in Boston.

4. Update on Children’s Darfur Art Exhibit – (it’s really traveling!)

Feb. 2^nd and 9^th – Mass. Career Devt. Institute with Magda’s talk

Feb. 6th – Darfur Dinner at Amherst College, sponsored by

Interfaith Council. Many of children’s pictures were exhibited

effectively on music stands around the dining tables.

March 15^th - ? with showing of film “Darfur Diaries” Tuesday,

March 20^th at 7 pm at Greenfield Community College, Social Science Studio,

Call 978-544-2247 for more info.

6. Meet with Olver in April – who would like to be part of this delegation? Let me know and I’ll pass word on to Bernadette Jones.

7. Send messages to the presidential candidates and ask them to ratchet up on Darfur. Obama, Richardson, Brownback have made hopeful and useful statements in the past, but we don't think we're hearing anything lately. Do they have ideas? --Martha and Irwin Spiegelman

8. Clothing Drive for Darfur; contact Myrle Goodman (860) 523-8816; also email update is coming soon!!

9. Boston area Darfur students are planning a die-in in Boston Commons for Sunday, April 15^th in the afternoon. Students will lie down in the Commons, and the silence will be periodically interrupted by speakers. There will be students handing out information about Darfur and the divestment bill. We’d love for anyone from the Western MA Coalition to participate in the die-in and/or attend the hearing. Also International Darfur Awareness Day – April 29^th – sponsored by Save Darfur

10. Amnesty International & STAND are presenting a Genocide Awareness Film Series; movies will be shown every other Tuesday from 7-9 in the theater of Keefe. Next movie is Tues. March 27^th. I’ll send info out on it soon!

11. Genocide Intervention Network's Sprint for Darfur campaign: communities organize races with pledged financial support for runners. Steph from Umass is proposing to organize a community-wide event race or other Darfur related event to raise money – would high school and Amherst College students also be interested?

12. Next meeting—Tuesday, April 3^rd at 7 pm at Fanny’s at 26 Morgan Circle, Amherst, MA.