I attended a rally in Toronto today called "Scream for Darfur." The event, organized in part by my 18-year-old sister Leora with a group called Project Equity, was intended to spur action by Canadian politicians against the genocide in Darfur. It was one of several similar events taking place today throughout North America.

The event was quite moving, with about 1,000 attendees, leading politicians, and survivors of Sudanese brutality, all brought together by a group of passionate high school and university students. The scream described in the event's name happened when attendees where asked to--rather than participate in a moment of silence--participate in a long scream, with fists raised, to demonstrate that silence is no longer acceptable on this issue.

One of the highlights for me, captured in the photo above, was when the audience was asked to take out their cell phones and, as they had raised their fists earlier, raise their cell phones in an act of political activism. The organizers delivered to the audience the phone number for the Canadian Prime Minister's office, and attendees were asked to put the number in their phones and call the office to spur action.

It was quite interesting for me to see communications technology play such an important role in political activism. Not only did communications technology bring the issue in Darfur to the attention of Canadian students and allow the students to organize and promote their event cheaply online, it also provided them with a way to empower attendees to take direct action from where they were standing, miles away from the country's capital.

That number, if you're interested, is 613-941-6880. You can also email Prime Minister Stephen Harper at pm@pm.gc.ca. The more people who make their voices heard, the more likely politicians will be to act.