Talking Darfur at GA

All of the preparations are finally over! The Unitarian Universalist Association's General Assembly 2007 in Portland, Ore. begins at 8 p.m. tonight. GA will take place at the Oregon Convention Center, a beautiful facility across the Willamette River from downtown Portland. It is difficult to imagine a more appropriate urban site for GA. As usual, the UUA will be streaming the key events of GA via the Internet, so you don't need to be here to take part.

As UUSC, we will be focusing our attention on our Drumbeat for Darfur Campaign. That is, we'll be trying to get people to "Connect, Take Action, End the Genocide" right here at GA. Throughout GA, we'll be encouraging people to take an advocacy action designed to pressure the Chinese government to rethink its relationship with the Sudanese government.

Today, we'll be hosting 80 activists from around the country for a Drumbeat for Darfur training day, featuring Omer Ismail of Darfur Peace and Development, noted author Frances Moore Lappe, UUA President Bill Sinkford and our own Charlie Clements. It is going to be a great day, provided that I get going so that I'm there to welcome people.