who can forget the genocide that took the lives of over 6 million Jews? I’m referring to the Holocaust of course, so why are we still letting it occur? Unknown to the ignorant minds, genocide continues to be a prevalent problem in the Darfur region of Sudan. In 2004 the U.S. called the atrocities in Darfur genocide. With 200,000 dead and 2.5 million displaced, organizations around the world were given an incentive to act.

Adam Sterling, 25 years old, took these atrocities to heart and acted for change in Darfur. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Adam identified with the victims of Darfur as his family is among Holocaust survivors. While attending UCLA Adam led a student movement for Sudan, which ultimately led to the Sudan Divestment Task Force.

With degrees in Afro-American Studies and Political Science, Adam founded The Sudan Divestment Task Force, a project of the Genocide Intervention Network. The organization challenges the Sudanese government by using a “divestment policy to apply pressure for change.” The efforts of the Task Force have led to the withdrawal of nine major companies within Sudan.

Adam has gone onto serve as an advisor for Sudan and delivered testimony for the House of Representatives, The United States Senate, the United Nations Global Compact, and several state legislatures. In 2007 he contributed to the approval of the ‘Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act’ signed by President Bush.

Even further, Adam has made contributions, to name a few, to The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, and Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Appearing as a guest, Adam has also been on numerous news programs, like The Situation (CNN) and Street Signs (CNBC).

Then came Darfur Now, the 2007 documentary by Don Cheadle, written and directed by Ted Braun. Darfur Now highlights the issues facing Darfur and follows six individuals and their struggles to make a difference in Sudan. Among the featured are Don Cheadle, Hejewa Adam, Pablo Recalde, Ahmed Mohammed Abakar, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, and Adam Sterling himself.

This past year, Adam was recognized for his humanitarian work and was among nine nominees for the Do Something Awards, part of the Teen Choice Awards. Having the privileged of meeting Adam prior to the awards night, he spoke of his goals to attend Law school in Berkeley in the next year. Ultimately aspiring to become a politician seems promising for the already successful activist.

By Andrea Garcia