Special to the Lorian

This past Saturday, young people around the world gathered together in peaceful demonstration to call for an end to the longest-running war in Africa. In northern Uganda, the Lord’s Resistance Army has been abducting children and forcing them to act as soldiers, witnessing and performing violent atrocities.

The non-profit organization Invisible Children coordinated awareness events in more than 100 cities around the world, where young people ‘abducted’ themselves to raise awareness of the issue in Uganda. The abductees stayed outside until a mogul (celebrity, musician or politician) came to rescue them, bringing the media with them to cover the event.

More than 30 other Duhawks and I drove to Chicago Saturday morning to take part in the demonstration. We marched through freezing rain and spent a few hours waiting to be rescued in Chicago’s Grant Park. The weather was terrible, and most of us weren’t prepared for the drop in temperatures or how drenched we would get. But overall, we all knew that we were there for a great cause.

Invisible Children is a movement that was started by three California guys not much older than we are who created a documentary about the child soldiers in Africa and showed it to their friends. Over the past few years, they have been able to effect some incredibly positive changes in the lives of the people of northern Uganda. Invisible Children helped petition the government to appoint a top U.S. peacekeeper to the region, and it also raised money on college campuses across the country for building schools to help educate the children in Uganda.

It was a very powerful experience to gather with so many of our peers, uniting for peace. I believe the Invisible Children movement is a clear example of how our generation truly can come together to make a difference in the world.

And while we Duhawks had to return to Dubuque on Sunday, many other rescuers stayed. As of this writing, Chicago abductees are still waiting to be rescued by their moguls. Around the world, 98 cities have been rescued, while Chicago and Richmond, VA, are still holding out. More than 100 rescuers have stayed on in Chicago waiting for rescue.

For up-to-the-minute information on the rescue, or to see which moguls turned out for the event, check www.invisiblechildren.com. And if you’d like to help rescue the demonstrators in Chicago, check the website for information on how to contact celebrities and politicians.