Cloudy skies and the threat of rain didnt deter Lincoln high school and college students who signed up to demonstrate against the brutal treatment of children in Uganda.
Event organizers said at least 600 attended the peaceful demonstration on Saturday night. Most planned to spend the night on Centennial Mall just north of the Capitol.
We had 300 T-shirts, and theyre all gone, said Hannah Ledford, a senior at Lincoln High School.
Im totally stoked, said Jillian Brown, a 19-year-old Union College student. So many people stayed.
Sleeping bags, backpacks and tarps covered both grass and cement on the Mall on Saturday.
The students gathered for a group photo on the north steps of the Capitol, then got busy writing letters to Nebraska senators and President Bush, creating paintings to send to Ugandan children and getting prepared for a chilly night.
A little cold and a little damp heavenly conditions compared to those children in Uganda face on a daily basis, students said. Caught in the midst of a civil war, children in the small African country often walk into cities at night, hiding from rebel soldiers who otherwise would force them to join the army.
I dont have to be worried about being abducted, said Tess Widdowson, 14. I just feel blessed.
Said Alan Cupino, 20: We have nice houses, cars, cell phones. Its kids that are being affected.
Thats why young people in the United States are responding to problems in Uganda, students said: children are suffering.
I babysit people the age of the kids getting kidnapped, said Alex Riggs, 14. I look at my friends and say, what if?
We are blessed.
Said Lincoln Northeast student Katie Cummings: If people are aware of it, maybe something will change. Everyone says they want to make a difference.
This is what we can do, chimed in Lincoln Southeast student Mattie Simbarcelos.
Before turning to their sleeping bags, the students held large signs in front of the Capitol: We have seen Northern Uganda, and End to American indifference, two of them read.
Its shocking. Its unbelievable, said Marvin Binnick, a student at Lincoln Northeast. Im here with my iPod. I mean, we dont have a choice. We had to do this.
Reach Josh Swartzlander at 473-7120 or [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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