“I want to be a great football player, I want to be the best… but I want to be remembered as somebody who was more than just a football player,” says Green Bay Packer Quarterback Aaron Rodgers after last night’s event for the Conflict Free Campus Initiative Rally at the Memorial Union Terrace. What may have initially brought out more Packer fans than CFCI activists on Monday night, ended up being a very successful awareness rally for the atrocities happening in the Congo.
Alongside Rodgers included Raise Hope for Congo Campaign Manager JD Stier, Entourage actress and activist Emmanuelle Chriqui, and rapper/poet Omekongo Dibinga who took the time to educate students on campus about CFCI and how they can get involved.
Right now, armed groups are using violent tactics to control eastern Congolese people to mine for the four main minerals used in our electronic devices and jewelry: the ores that produce tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold. Mass rape is used as a war weapon against the Congolese people in order for armed groups to control mines, trading routes, and other strategic areas. It’s the goal of the Conflict Free Campus Initiative to draw on the leadership of students to motivate university officials to commit to measures that pressure electronic companies to purchase conflict free minerals for their products.
In JD Stier’s opening remarks, he emphasized the importance of student involvement: “Today, this is your time. The Conflict Free Campus Initiative is your chance. When I talked to Emmanuelle and Aaron about coming to Madison they were in instantly, immediately because again the University of Wisconsin Madison is at the forefront of this human rights movement!” You could feel the energy and excitement in the crowd as he rallied them up to join the cause. Then, “Jump Around” came on and the entire crowd was jumping like it was the end of the 3rd quarter at a badger game.
Next to the stage was Omekongo delivering a heart wrenching and beautiful rap. The crowd quickly fell silent, as they were capitivated by his visual and brutally honest verses: “Young girls now a commodity, it’s no longer an oddity…Little babies dying so we can have a cell phone and warm home, an Xbox, a flat screen.” His rap definitely made the group of students gathered second-guess their loyalty to their device they hold so dearly that is also a symbol of war and violence.
Chriqui’s involvement with Raise Hope for Congo started several years ago and she influenced Rodgers to join the fight after she met him while presenting Rodgers with his MVP award at the Super Bowl XLV. For Rodgers, his involvement was a “no-brainer” for him. He spoke about after winning MVP he thought about the kind of man he’d like to be outside of football.
In a personal interview, Rodgers says, “The thing they always said was that Bart Starr was always a better person than a football player, that says a lot about the kind of person he was and is and what he accomplished and I took that to heart and how to be referred to like that.” Coming from Green Bay, Wisconsin myself, I was aware of Aaron Rodgers’ “good guy” appeal. He says, “We’ve got a thing called ‘The Packer Way’ that we talk about a lot; it’s about conducting yourself in a way that brings a lot of respect and admiration to the organization.” The Packer community extends vastly outside of the small town of Green Bay and this definitely has a lot to do with the good values that Packer players practice. Rodgers sets an example for the team and for professional players everywhere. His commitment to use his fame for good and express his care for humanity speaks loudly on this “Packer Way.”
I cannot believe how fortunate I was to meet not only the MVP Aaron Rodgers, but also the activist Aaron Rodgers. He has a genuine sincerity in his passion for CFCI and Raise Hope for Congo that is both inspiring and heartwarming.
To get involved and find out more information, text: CONGO to 30644