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Displace Me was an event staged by Invisible Children Inc. on April 28 2007 to raise awareness of the suffering endured by the people of Northern Uganda . It is the follow-up to the Global Night Commute , another event put on by Invisible Children on April 29 2006 . Displace Me was a demonstration that was meant to bring attention to the war in Uganda and to get legislators to notice and take action. The emphasis of the demonstration was to travel a long distance to a host city, and spend the night in a mock displacement camp. This was done to replicate the long trip to, and the poor conditions of the displacement camps in Northern Uganda. Among the fifteen cities participating, over 67,000 were in attendance. LOCATIONS THE EVENT Much of the night consisted of filming for the Displace Me video that was to be shown before the US Senate. This video is available on the Displace Me website. As the main message of the video, each city was assigned two lines of a 30-line statement. These two lines, as well as each city's name, were stretched out across the crowds on giant banners. The Message: We are a movement of everyday heroes. We are the never-before Demanding the never-again. After 21 years of war 1.5 million forced into camps Are dying by the thousands. We will not close our eyes to the emergency in Northern Uganda. This isn't about guilt- It's about faces with names. The 50 American states Are united in 15 cities. (List all cities.) We are displaced Because they are displaced. The time has come for peace. Apathy has become activism. We go without food We go without water For the Invisible Children who go without. We forego our comforts, and forego our beds For equality Freedom And justice for all. We stand on our forefathers' shoulders To declare that all men are created equal. We ask: Peace in Northern Uganda Protection of its citizens And a plan to bring them home. Every war has an end. Other parts of the event included time for writing to senators and representatives, a time for calling friends and family who had never heard of Invisible Children, speakers from all sides of the war, and 21 minutes of silence for the 21 years of war. Participants were asked to bring the following items to the event (as quoted from the site):
Items that were collected were rationed to the participants. While some participants did bend the rules, this was discouraged in order for them to fully experience the event. CELEBRITY SUPPORT Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy has voiced support for Displace Me, and has said he is attending the Los Angeles Displace Me. A video featuring Wentz was produced by Invisible Children that can be seen on YouTube . Melissa Fitzgerald ('' The West Wing '') was a guest speaker at the Los Angeles Displace Me location. SOURCES The Official Displace Me Website . SEE ALSO
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