Binghamton University Students Engage with "Kony 2012"

On Thursday, April 12th, the Center for Civic Engagement, along with co-sponsors UNICEF @ BU, Sigma Alpha Lambda, B.L.A.C.K. Unity, the Indian International Student Union, and the Office of International Programs, hosted a forum to discuss Invisible Children's recent viral video, Kony 2012. About 50 students, faculty, and staff joined the hour-long discussion in Lecture Hall 10, asking questions and discovering ways to make a difference.

Professor Michael West, of the Sociology and Africana Studies Departments, moderated the panel and engaged the audience in a vibrant discussion around the Kony 2012 campaign and U.S. intervention in Africa. Professor William Martin, Sociology department chair, spoke first, highlighting the complexities of the humanitarian-industrial complex, the portrayal of Africans in the film, and the reactions of Ugandans to the campaign. Professor Virginia Brown, a member of the Political Science department specializing in International Law, discussed the ethicality of Invisible Children's marketing campaign, the recent discovery of oil in Uganda as a motivation for the creation of the film, and issues with the methods of the International Criminal Court and the refusal of the United States to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, making it the only country, other than Somalia and South Sudan, not to have ratified it.

Audience members asked the panelists questions regarding the Kony 2012 campaign and the many issues surrounding the conflicts in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan. Topics covered included the costs and benefits of possible U.S. military intervention in Uganda, arguments for and against hunting down Kony, and the International Criminal Court's heavy and unfortunate focus on African criminals.

"It was enlightening because the professors showed that things are not always what they seem," said Binghamton alum Christopher Prashad. "When I first saw the video, it played on my emotions and I felt that we should try to capture Kony. However, the discussion made it obvious that there was more to the issue than simply one person."

Professor Martin also handed out an information sheet created by the Association of Concerned Africa Scholars titled, "What Can We Do About Uganda and the LRA?" The sheet contains information and resources for high school and college students (the main audience of the Kony 2012 video), and encourages students to continue to seek out information and ways to make a difference.

While much of the event was critical of the Kony 2012 campaign and Invisible Children's proposed methods, Professor West concluded by asking students not to feel discouraged or helpless. "This is not a disabling event," he said. "It is an enabling event."

For more information about the Kony 2012 video and the issues surrounding it, check out the Association of Concerned Africa Scholars page, Resources on Uganda, the LRA, and Central Africa. The Center for Civic Engagement also created a brochure that was given to students attending the event, which can be picked up in our office (UU-145).

Join the CCE on Monday, April 16th for our final Community Issues Forum of the semester. The CCE and REACT to FILM will be holding a free screening of the film Living for 32 at 8pm in Old Union Hall. Living for 32 is the inspirational story of Colin Goddard, a survivor of the tragic gun shooting massacre which occurred on the Virginia Tech campus on April 16th, 2007.

The screening will be followed by an interactive livestream Q&A with Colin Goddard and film producer Maria Cuomo Cole, as well as a nationwide candlelight vigil in which Binghamton will be participating. Faculty, staff, students, and community members are welcome to participate in this free event. The screening is co-sponsored by Sigma Alpha Lambda, the Secular Students Alliance, and Peace OUTside Campus.

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!

REACT to The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

A day after the one-year anniversary of the March 11^th tsunami in Japan, the Center for Civic Engagement and REACT to FILM, along with co-sponsors The Institute for Asia and Asian Diasporas, Student United Way, Asian Outlook, and Sigma Alpha Lambda, hosted a screening of Lucy Walker’s The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom, a film showcasing tsunami survivors amidst the backdrop of cherry blossom season. The 40-minute film opens with news video footage of the tsunami itself, and follows the healing path of the people of Japan through interviews with those living in the areas hit hardest by the disaster. Walker then transitions to cherry blossom season, a time that inspires the Japanese to be strong and hopeful despite their struggles.

Over 55 students, faculty, staff, and community members attended the event on Monday night, and many stayed to participate in a follow-up discussion led by Professor Herbert Bix of the History and Sociology Departments, Associate Professor David Stahl, Chair of the Asian and Asian American Studies Department, and Assistant Professor Roberta Strippoli, also of the AAAS Department.

Professor Strippoli opened with a discussion about the cherry blossom flower and its meaning to the Japanese as portrayed in literature, a meaning that has changed over time but always held a significant place in Japanese culture. Professor Stahl offered a critical view of the film from a perspective based in trauma studies, noting that the film was heavy-handed in its effort to portray Japan as having been healed when, in reality, there is still much work and grieving to be done. Finally, Professor Bix added a historical and political perspective, focusing on the effects of Fukushima, the influence of the new Japanese government, and the increased participation in protests by the Japanese middle class since the tsunami.

The audience quickly joined in to ask questions and discuss different issues, including more about the Fukushima accident and what has been happening in Japan since the tsunami. Binghamton University senior Samantha Grieco, President of Sigma Alpha Lambda, compared what she saw in the film to what she witnessed on  CCE’s 2011 alternative spring break trip to New Orleans, in which students helped residents of the Gulf Coast rebuild after Hurricane Katrina. Although people were returning to a semblance of normalcy, the amount of recovery still needed was tremendous. Grieco added that she had never seen people “more thankful for help.”

While it is sometimes helpful to focus on the positive in the wake of disaster, there are still many parts of Japan in dire need of assistance. During the month of March, REACT to FILM will donate $1 to Beyond Tomorrow's Great East Japan Earthquake Reconstruction Assistance Project for every new “like” on their Facebook page. Another easy way to help is by joining Paper Cranes for Japan in their quest to raise $200,000 to support the rebuilding efforts of Japanese architects. To stay up on Japan’s progress and the Fukushima accident, including how it has affected power programs around the world, read the Japan Times online.

Keep an eye out for announcements about our upcoming community issues forums! Next month, on April 10^th, we will be focusing on Invisible Children's “Kony 2012” campaign and on April 16^th, the film Living for 32. Follow the CCE and sign up for our newsletter to stay in the loop!

The Last Mountain: Film Screening & Community Issues Forum

On November 17th, the Center for Civic Engagement and REACT to FILM paired up for their final film screening and community issues forum of the semester. The Last Mountain sparked the interest of over 35 Binghamton students and faculty members who came out to see the film and  participate in a follow-up discussion.

The film portrayed the struggle of residents in Coal River Valley in West Virginia, where mountaintop removal mining for coal has destroyed all but one mountain and has polluted the air and water of the surrounding area. While coal mining provides jobs and electricity for many people in the area, it also has health, economic, environmental, and political costs that seem to outweigh the benefits for those fighting the coal companies in the Valley. Instead, they proposed wind energy as a solution to create jobs, clean energy, and to save their last mountain.

"I thought the stories of the people living in Appalachia were so compelling. [The film] really pulled on my heart strings and tapped into my emotions. It almost brought me to tears several times," said junior Emily Ferrara.

Professors Richard Andrus and Joseph Graney contributed their knowledge of the issues presented in the film by leading the discussion that followed. Students drew parallels between coal mining in Appalachia and the current debates over hydrofracking in Broome County, considered the costs and benefits of coal and wind energy, and, most importantly, considered the question: what can we do?

The Last Mountain was the fourth community issues forum sponsored by the Center for Civic Engagement for the Fall 2011 semester. Along
with REACT to FILM, the CCE held a screening of Danfung Dennis's Hell and Back Again in mid-September, Miss Representation in October, and Food, Inc. as part of the 2011 national Food Day. The purpose of these open forums is to inform students, faculty, and staff about the issues that affect us all, to promote open discussion of multiple perspectives, and ultimately to move participants to action. Look out for our upcoming forums centered around screenings of Living for 32, The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom, and Sing Your Song in the Spring 2012 semester!