Throughout the past week, New York City residents participated in pro-Darfur events around the city as part of Genocide Prevention Month.

On Tuesday, at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations on 45th Street, Darfur Vigil Group members armed with posters, handouts, and an indomitable spirit urged stronger government efforts to help the more than one million internally displaced Dafuri civilians housed in refugee camps in southern Sudan.

As a result of a March 4th indictment by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir for crimes against humanity, the Khartoum government shut down 16 aid organizations and delivery of their vital humanitarian assistance to these camps. Over one million people stopped getting food assistance and 500,000 more lost access to health, nutrition services, and drinkable water supplies.

"The crisis only gets worse and we, and activists throughout the country, are pressuring the administration to take concrete action to bring life-saving relief aid to the refugees," said Darfur Vigil Group organizer Helga Moor. "We'll be here every Tuesday at noon until aid is allowed back into the camps."

Jim Heffler, a retired paralegal member from Richmond Hill, says he joined the demonstration because the Sudanese government onslaught against civilians in Darfur displayed "a wrongness that stands out." He said the present risk of starvation, illness, and diseases spreading in the camps will be aggravated with the impending rainy season, and Heffler implored fellow New Yorkers to join the vigil and contact their representatives.

"The more bodies, the more pressure to show the government that there is popular support for the hapless civilian victims in Darfur," he said.

STAND is a national student-based coalition of over 700 chapters whose mission includes action to prevent and stop genocide through education, advocacy, and fundraising for civilian protection.

On Wednesday, Queens College STAND members staged a die-in - laying down in the form of a peace sign - to express outrage that 16 humanitarian organizations were banned from Sudan, putting over a million lives at risk.

AquaMoon, a spoken word and hip-hop art group against injustice, held an hour-long performance in the Queens College cafeteria's Patio Room, followed by a 20-minute die-in protest. The demonstration became surreal as a light drizzle began to fall on the scene.

Doug Leresche, a STAND member, explained that dramatic events help generate campus awareness to the atrocities in Darfur. Last week, the 30-member group organized an "in your face" lie-in on the steps as classes on the Flushing campus were ending.

"We're students who can build awareness at the grassroots level and start on the road towards making a difference," explained Leresche. "That's what we are hoping for."

The next major event, open to the public and scheduled for May 18 through 22, will be students living in tents on the grassy area in the main Quad just outside the library. The action is meant to simulate life in the Darfur refugee camps. There will be speakers, entertainment, petitions, and postcards that will be sent to President Barack Obama.

"We want it to be a community event, not just a campus project," explained Leresche.

On Thursday, the STAND chapter at the St. John's University campus sponsored an all-day "Pushups for Darfur" event in the Montgoris Dining Hall. STAND vice-president Cameron McLinden did push-ups to raise money and awareness for genocide victims in Darfur, Burma, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and other conflicted regions.

STAND members sold anti-genocide t-shirts and distributed information about measures to end the genocide. The day's activities raised $689 through pledges, and 375 letters were signed urging humanitarian relief groups back into Darfur.

"All funds raised go to the protection of innocent civilians in conflict areas, including Darfur," explained STAND co-president Ramya Sekaran. "The money helps in situations similar to a common one in which women are faced with rape, disfigurement, and murder while simply gathering firewood for dinner."