Sudan Awareness Week

Sudan Awareness Week, February 16th through the 22nd, provides an opportunity for Alaskan communities -- faith-based or secular -- to honor the plight of the people of Sudan. Ravaged by war for decades, and the site of the ongoing 6-year-long genocide in its Darfur region, Sudan offers little but suffering for many of its people. During Sudan Awareness Week, Alaskans will recognize the people of Sudan and the incredible hardships they face because of the Government of Sudan's destructive and criminal reign.

To kick off Sudan Awareness Week, Grassroots - A Fair Trade Store, located at 1300 West Northern Lights Blvd (in the REI strip mall), is dedicating the whole month of February to Sudan. The store will display a sculpture by local artist, April Boles, that depicts the plight of women in Darfur. On February 15, a power point presentation summarizing the situation in Sudan followed by a question-and-answer session will begin at 2 p.m. Sudanese refugees will be on hand to field questions and to tell their stories. Beginning around 3 p.m., some of the refugees will showcase their culture through traditional drumming and singing -- a treat for all!