Questions for the advocacy community: Q2 – Esther Sprague

Q2: Is citizen advocacy at its most effective when it generates maximum “noise” on an issue , or do citizen advocates need to attach particular policy prescriptions to the noise they make?

Esther Sprague:

I became a Darfur activist because a friend of mine, Mamer Kuer Ajak, was concerned about reports he was hearing concerning the violence in Darfur.  It reminded him of what he experienced as a Southern Sudanese during Sudan’s 22-year civil war.   Mamer had captured the hearts of our church community — we cared about what he cared about and so we organized a rally at Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco to raise awareness about what was later to be called genocide.  I don’t remember that we had any specific policy asks, but I do remember that at this rally I met Nikki Serapio, Elissa Test, Gerri Miller and others who later joined forces as the San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition and who are instrumental in making quite a bit of noise for Darfur.

Over time the Darfur movement developed, which included the creation of national organizations that formed policy asks for local activists to promote within their own communities. I’m sure this was a huge relief for people like John Prendergast and Eric Reeves, whose inboxes were constantly flooded with emails from activists wanting to know what we should ask for.  Perhaps these policy groups came into existence (at least formally) because citizen advocacy groups required it.  It is interesting to note, however, that these policy groups have come to dominate the movement at the expense of citizen advocacy, which I believe has diminished our effectiveness as a movement and the support we can provide to the people of Sudan.  Why should our government leaders listen to a handful of people sitting in Washington?  They should listen to what those people have to say because the American people demand it.

I think anyone would agree that to be most effective, the policy groups must work hand-in-hand with citizen advocacy.  One is not more important than the other – but both need each other to achieve what ultimately is a common purpose and, in this case, that is ending genocide in Sudan.  These two groups may start out a bit in the dark and therefore far apart from each other, but once they see, hear and recognize each other there really is no excuse for them not to join forces so that the noise is informed and useful and so that people, who are simply trying to survive, receive the help they so desperately need.

Esther Sprague is the founder of Sudan Unlimited and is a member of the Executive Committee for the Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan:  The National Network and The San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition.