On April 5, 2006 Sudan activist and former slave Simon Deng and a band of supporters completed an arduous 300-mile trek on foot from New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 to Washington, D.C. as part of the historic Sudan Freedom Walk. The three-week-long event was Simon’s personal protest against the ongoing genocide and slave trade

History of slavery

The history of slavery covers slave systems in historical perspective in which one human being is legally the property of another, can be bought or sold, is not allowed to escape and must work for the owner without any choice involved...

 in Sudan — most notably, in the nation’s western Darfur

Darfur

Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...

 region, where more than 300,000 civilians have been slaughtered and over 2 million displaced since 2003 alone.

Political participation

The Sudan Freedom Walk came to a close after three weeks with a rally before the steps of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. on the afternoon of April 6, 2006 coinciding with Congressional passage of the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act

Darfur Peace and Accountability Act

The Darfur Peace and Accountability Act or DPAA restates the United States government's position that the Darfur conflict constitutes genocide, asks the government to expand the African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur and give the force a stronger mandate, including more generous logistical...

, which would require Sudan to comply with several human rights

Human rights

Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

 standards or face sanctions. The event drew an unlikely mix of supporters, including: former Washington Bullets

Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...

 NBA player Manute "The Sudanese Swat" Bol (left), Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...

 (D-NY), Sen. Sam Brownback

Sam Brownback

Samuel Dale "Sam" Brownback is the 46th and current Governor of Kansas. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a U.S. Senator from Kansas from 1996 to 2011, and as a U.S. Representative for Kansas's 2nd congressional district from 1995 to 1996...

 (R-KS), House Minority Leader

Minority leader

In U.S. politics, the minority leader is the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative body. Given the two-party nature of the U.S. system, the minority leader is almost inevitably either a Republican or a Democrat, with their counterpart being of the opposite party. The position...

 Nancy Pelosi

Nancy Pelosi

Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011...

 (D-CA), Rep. Michael Capuano

Mike Capuano

Michael Everett "Mike" Capuano is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1999. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, which was once represented by John F. Kennedy and Tip O'Neill, includes the northern three-fourths of Boston, as well as Somerville and Cambridge...

 (D-MA), Rep. Barbara Lee

Barbara Lee

Barbara Jean Lee is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1998. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She is the first woman to represent that district. Lee was the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and was the Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus...

 (D-CA), Rep. Joseph Crowley

Joseph Crowley

Joseph Crowley is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1999. He is the Chairman of the New Democrat Coalition and the Queens County Democratic Party. He is a member of the Democratic Party....

 (D-NY), Rep. Betty McCollum

Betty McCollum

Betty Louise McCollum is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. She is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party ....

 (D-MN), Rep. Chris Van Hollen

Chris Van Hollen

Christopher "Chris" Van Hollen, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party...

 (D-MD), as well as Walter Fauntroy

Walter E. Fauntroy

Walter Edward Fauntroy is the former pastor of the New Bethel Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., and a civil rights activist. He is also a former member of the United States Congress and was a candidate for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination, as well as a human rights activist...

, former mayor of Washington, and radio talk show

Talk radio

Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...

 host Joe Madison

Joe Madison

Joe Madison, alternatively known as "The Black Eagle" or "Madison," is an American radio talk show host and activist.-Early years:...

.

The Sudan Freedom Walk returned in the Fall of 2010, replicating the first walk of 2006 and advocating for a free and fair vote for Southern Sudanese independence. Simon Deng again led the walk, in partnership with the Darfur Human Rights Organization of the USA. Emmanual Jal The popular Sudanese artist joined the walk at the Capitol to close the walk on October 7th, 2010.