Graig MantleThe last four years in the African region of Darfur, Sudan, have been plagued by conflict. The Sudanese government is expected to have aided the Janjaweed militia in targeting certain ethnic groups and killing hundreds of thousands of people. It is estimated that 400,000 people have already died in the crisis.
In response to the atrocities, computer engineering freshman Jeremy Riddell-Kaufman began a student-run project called 400,000 Faces – which recruited 400,000 members on the social-networking Web site facebook – one to represent each of the lives lost in Darfur.
“I had a bunch of inspirations for this project. The biggest one was the movie ‘Paper Clips.’ It gave physical representation for the deaths of the Holocaust when students collected several million paper clips for the people that died,” Riddell-Kaufman said. “When I got on facebook and saw a group that offered to donate $1 to Darfur for every 1,000 group members that joined, I realized this could be done.”
The group was created in September 2006, and by January had reached its goal of 400,000 students. Riddell-Kaufman said that the group was growing exponentially in the beginning, with as many as 20,000 students joining each day.
The 400,000 members’ faces were printed onto 4,000 pages with 100 faces per page. They will be presented at over 70 high school and college campuses across the nation. In addition, the 4,000 pages of faces will be presented to senators, congressional representatives and other influential individuals.
The pages were spread across the floor of the Chumash Auditorium Monday, where students came by to check it out and write letters to Congress, urging it to take action in the Darfur conflict.
“I didn’t realize it affected so many people. Seeing all those faces on the ground really made me realize how many people are dying from senseless acts of violence,” nutrition science senior Robert Unrue said.
The facebook group attracted people both nationally and internationally who wanted a way to help with the situation in Darfur. Riddell-Kaufman said that they will keep the group for any people who would like to do the 400,000 Faces presentation at their school in the future.
“What I really hope for is an avalanche of action. People who have been inspired by this group have found a way to create awareness for AIDS and cancer and others. This project is just the tip of the iceberg of what can be done on Web sites like facebook,” Riddell-Kaufman said.
The 400,000 Faces project was overseen by the Students for Darfur organization, which was also created by Riddell-Kaufman. This was their first and likely their biggest project, but won’t be their last. One project Riddell-Kaufman hopes to carry out in the future is “Cookies for Congress,” where he would encourage students to bake cookies, send them to their congressmen and ask them to remember what is happening in Darfur.
For more information on the crisis in Darfur, the 400,000 Faces project or future projects, visit www.studentsfordarfur.org.