3/26/12

Upcoming Community Issues Forum: Beyond "Kony 2012"

Over the last few weeks, Invisible Children's video campaign "Kony 2012" has become viral and has stirred up much debate worldwide. With over 80,000,000 views on YouTube since the video was posted on March 5th, over 450 people RSVPed to the Kony 2012 Binghamton Facebook event on April 20th, and hundreds of articles, blog posts, and response videos, this is an issue that is currently in the hearts and minds of many people all across the globe. The video, made by a staff member of Invisible Children, hopes to make Joseph Kony famous as the world's worst war criminal for his crimes against children in Uganda as the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army.

In response, the Center for Civic Engagement is planning a community issues forum that aims to go beyond the "Kony 2012" campaign by situating the video in its appropriate social, political and historical contexts. We also hope to discuss U.S. and international media coverage and viewer responses of the video and Invisible Children as a nonprofit organization (specifically its ethicality). The forum's main objectives are to provide students, faculty, staff, and community members an opportunity to openly discuss their views in a safe, comfortable setting and provide people with action steps beyond those proposed by Invisible Children. 

The event is scheduled for Thursday, April 12th in Lecture Hall 10. There will be a screening of Invisible Children's documentary at 7pm followed by the discussion which will begin at 7:30pm. We are currently looking for groups who would be interested in co-sponsoring the forum, and students, faculty, staff, and community members are invited to attend. For more information, contact Ashley at 
akuenne1@binghamton.edu. Hope to see you there!

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