[activism]
If you want to skip the Diary and head straight for the images, here is
the flickr set with all 92 pics. If you prefer the set as a slideshow,
open it here.
Yesterday's Rally on the National Mall was, in a word, pleasant. From the weather (68 degrees with a light breeze) to the atmosphere (no altercations that I heard of) to the people involved (polite and professional) - All nice.
I jumped on the Metro and got down to the Mall around noon. The crowds were still light at this point, and the volunteers were cheerfully handing out savedarfur stickers as everyone swarmed out of the station. These type of events quite often have personnel who are frantic to get anything and everything into your hands with the belief that the issue of the day will be solved by promotional goods. The first kudo goes to the person who got these volunteers motivated to hit the streets with the right disposition. The rest, and a few images, are below...
Edgery was helpful in getting me on the Media list, so the Second Kudo goes out to her. I headed over to the Press tent and picked up my Media package, then headed over to get backstage access. At this point, they were not letting Media in, so I hit the grass to get shots of people preparing and settling in.
If you head off to see the other images, you'll notice I didn't capture many pre-fabricated signs or shirts. For those who took the time and effort to make a statement, I felt they deserved a little more coverage. So if you were the person who glued all of these tiny dolls to the sign, here's your 1000 words:
At
Camp Darfur, as part of
Stop Genocide Now, people were writing their words of support on the tent. Inside was the video recording
StopGenocideNow.org is collecting the images, voices and solidarity of everyday Americans in brief messages to be sent to the people living in displacement in Darfur.
The messages will be compiled into a video letter from the American people to be screened in the refugee camps where most of the people of Darfur live.
Our goal is to remind the people of Darfur that in the face of desperate circumstances we, the people, stand in solidarity with them and support their right to life and dignity.
So, step inside our tent, state your name, where you are from and a brief message from your heart.
Thank you for taking this action and for allowing your likeness and heartfelt words to be used in carrying the message!
Next, it was back to the stage entrance. George Clooney showed up early (he wasn't scheduled until the end) and was mobbed. He probably wished the greeters had swept him up quicker or had a path cordoned off. I managed to get shots of Big and Rich, Reverend Sharpton, Richard Simmons and a few politicians before they went inside.
I took one more loop around the Rally area to catch some more signs and to get a feel for the size of the crowd. This shot was from 7th Street looking East toward the stage at about 2:30 p.m.
For the next hour and a half, I wandered in and out of the Press tent. There would be one or two speakers in there after they had come off of the stage, but someone forgot to turn on the lights and soundboard in the tent, so it was a little frustrating. Between speakers, I strolled around through the outlying crowds looking for interesting subjects.
Finally! They brought the Media in to do a staged shot of Clooney, so we swarmed the gate and got backstage at around 4:00 p.m. We were supposed to stay in a neat little line, but the Media has a mind of its own, and now that they had access, most bolted for interviews and photos. Erica from the
American Jewish World Service told me she had AWJS President Ruth Messinger available - She was one of the
protesters arrested on Friday. With her was a group of Darfuri refugees and Adam Zuckerman, a high school student who organized the trip, down from Portland Maine. Personally, I think these gentlemen should have been the stars of the day, but, this is American...
Before I got inside, I was thinking I had gotten all of the good shots I could for the day, and had almost headed home. I was happy just to BE in, so I waited in line patiently to get on stage. After most of the Entrenched Media had taken a turn, I was finally allowed on stage. There's lots of good shots from that angle in the set, but this one caught my eye
After George Clooney and his father were finished, the Press flew off of the stage to follow him. The crew let me back on since I was more interested in the politicians than in becoming a professional paparazzi. The schedule had the Event wrapping up by this time (4:30 p.m.,) but it was time for Congress to have its say
After a song from the Berklee College Ensemble and a couple more speakers, Olympic medalist
Joey Cheek (he gave his Olympic money to charity) closed the Rally with a few more words of encouragement. Something to the effect of "Darfur is just a line in the dirt. We're here to save the
People of Darfur." If anyone comes across a transcript of the event, please paste in the comments.
It was 5:30 by the time I got back out on the street. Nancy Pelosi was STILL outside shaking hands, taking pictures, and listening to what people had to say. The party was still going on with a drum circle surrounded by probably a hundred people dancing and enjoying the day. If you attended the Anti-War protest back in September, you might remember the piles of trash all over the place. The third Kudo goes out to the volunteers who stayed behind to pull trash duty and walk the line. In teams of twos and threes, up and back they went, with tidy stack of debris next to the waste baskets. Thank you folks.
The last Kudos go out to all of the people who came - From the crowds to the volunteers and staff to the speakers who gave their time and efforts - they are all deserving of our thanks for helping bring light to an issue most Americans could care less about.
Lastly, for their efforts today, a quick shout out to Dan and Sean from
M+R and Toby from
savedarfur.org. Thank you all, gentlemen.
technorati
tags [Darfur] [Rally] [Washington DC] [genocide] [activism] [George Clooney]
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