With this post we are launching the AFRECS News and Notes blog, a part of the online presence of the American Friends of the Episcopal Church of Sudan. You can also find us at our website, on Facebook, and in our weekly email newsletter, the AFRECS E-Blast. (To subscribe to the e-blast, please send an email to AFRECS_E-Blasts@afrecs.org with "SUBSCRIBE" in the subject line.) 


It seems only fitting to launch this new tool for Sudan/South Sudan news and advocacy with a tribute to Congressman Donald Payne, whose death last week leaves a void in this arena. What follows is from today's AFRECS e-blast.

A Tribute to Congressman Donald Payne: 

A Message from AFRECS Executive Director Richard Parkins

Tomorrow, Wednesday, Congressman Donald Payne will be laid to rest. His death leaves a void in Congress for those of us who can easily recall his persistent advocacy for the people of Sudan. As a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, he was especially attentive to and vocal about the needs of our African friends.   

His voice was among the first to speak of the "genocide" in Darfur. His daring trip in 2009 to lift up the plight of those caught in the ravages of a horrific civil war nearly cost him his life. He joined a faithful few comprising a bipartisan Sudan caucus who were often the only voices in the House calling the attention of our Government  to the violence and upheaval that ravaged Sudan. Congressman Payne was invariably urging  bolder US action in securing peace and justice for the millions of Sudanese who suffered at the hands of a regime that was relentless in inflicting suffering and death upon its people. Just two weeks ago, I was a part of a delegation that visited Congressman Payne’s office to seek support for cross-border humanitarian aid to those in the Nuba Mountains who were being slaughtered by the Sudanese army and its proxy militias. We were assured by staff that the Congressman was concerned about the issue and would seek appropriate action. 

Congressman Payne was described in the New York Times obituary as a "low key and unassuming presence in Congress." That he may have been, but his presence mattered when it came to Africa and Sudan. The loss that his departure represents comes at a perilous time for Sudan as killings of innocent Sudanese continues. It seems appropriate to recall a quote attributed to the Congressman as we press for an end to the warfare that plagues many parts of Sudan: "Nothing is so powerful as a dream whose time has come." Certainly Donald Payne dreamed of a time when peace would come to all of Sudan. A worthy tribute to this distinguished public servant would be to heighten our advocacy and prayers to achieve that hoped-for peace.