Lauren Adames, sophomore biology major, is the organizer of Cover the Night Fort Lauderdale, one in a series of nationwide campaigns originated by Invisible Children Inc., whose goal is to raise awareness about Joseph Kony, the most wanted war criminal by the International Crimes Court.
On April 20, from 8:30 p.m. – 4:30 a.m., participants will “cover Fort Lauderdale” with Kony paraphernalia—including flyers, posters, banners and bumper stickers.
Kony is the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a Ugandan guerrilla group, which kidnaps Ugandan children and turns them into child soldiers and sex slaves.
Invisible Children, Inc. has created a series of documentaries regarding Kony. The most recent video was released on March 15, which included the “call to action” initiative for the Cover the Night event.
Adames said, “After watching Invisible Children’s KONY 2012 video, I knew it would play a large role in my life. I wanted to help these Invisible Children in any way I could. The nearest event was in Miami, so I took it upon myself to create an event page [on Facebook] for the Fort Lauderdale area.”
Adames said that the event’s reach will be broad. She has people stationed in Downtown Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Davie, Plantation, Sunrise, and other South Florida cities.
Penelope Shiruani, freshman biology major, said she wants to participate in the event because it’s for a good cause.
“A lot of people don’t know what’s going on, so we need to do what we can to educate them, and Cover the Night is a great way to do that,” said Shiruani.
Since the release of the KONY 2012 video, which has been viewed more than 80 million times on YouTube, accusations have been made against Invisible Children Inc., including concerns that only 32 percent of the funds raised by the organization actually go to funding the organization’s mission, that there has been excessive use of funds by the organization’s founders for personal use, and for marketing and advertising.
The organization has also come under scrutiny by the public for drawing awareness to Kony despite the fact that there is no evidence to prove he is still in Uganda.
Additionally, on March 12, Jason Russell, founder of Invisible Children, Inc., was detained by the San Diego Police Department for public intoxication, vandalism, and lewd and lacivious behavior. Jonathan Trabitz, second-year law student, doesn’t think Cover the Night will be a successful event.
“I think if you’re going to bring all this press to Kony and not do anything about it, it’s pointless,” said Trabitz. “They could put enough pressure on the American government to get involved, but that’s not going to happen during election year.”
However, Adames said that she supports the KONY 2012 movement because she believes in Invisible Children’s message that “where you live shouldn’t determine whether you live,” and hopes to do her part to raise awareness about the crimes Kony has committed against Ugandan children.
“When people know who Joseph Kony is and what he has done, then justice will be demanded. Just because these children are suffering in Africa does not mean they have less of an importance compared to a child in America. We are all equal no matter where we live,” Adames said.
To sign up for Cover the Night, students can contact Adames at la662@nova.edu, or on the Facebook event page at www.facebook.com/events/201905496577786/.
