Nearly 88 million YouTube hits later, a group of young activists are preparing to hit the streets with the mission to bring fame to their cause.
The awareness campaign sparked by activist group Invisible Children’s short film, “KONY 2012: Part II – Beyond Famous” solved unanswered questions and emphasized Cover the Night.
Though there is no official University-sponsored Cover the Night group, many Facebook groups exist for the event, and students like photography senior Desiree Watkins and mass communication freshman Janie Lunn plan to serve their community alongside small groups of friends.
Lunn, who has produced two Invisible Children benefit concerts, welcomes anyone wanting to get involved to meet under the University’s clock tower around 11 p.m. to blanket Baton Rouge with a fresh coat of Kony awareness. Activists will take to the streets after sunset to spread Invisible Children’s message via posters, stickers, chalk stencils, wall murals or any other creative and legal methods.
The event is monumentally
important because it will show persistence, Lunn said.
Watkins, vice president of the University’s Invisible Children chapter, who interned for the organization in 2008, said it has been incredible to see the campaign’s worldwide impact, especially with the younger generation.
“This type of activism is going to be very powerful in the future,” she said. “I think it has really opened people’s eyes to what they can do.”
According to another video featuring Invisible Children’s Noelle Jouglet, communication director, and Jedidiah Jenkins, director of idea development, Cover the Night is a four-step process.
Supporters are encouraged wear a Kony 2012 shirt for the entire day. Shirts could be purchased as part of an “action kit” bought from Invisible Children’s website, or homemade shirts can be worn.
Handwritten letters asking for support will then be mailed to government officials around the country.
The next step urges followers to spend three hours serving the community before spreading their message around the country. The activist group wants to earn the right to be heard globally by serving locally, Jenkins said.
Lunn said the Kony controversy died down after criticisms of Invisible Children’s first video contributed to co-founder Jason Russell’s stress-related breakdown caused by dehydration, exhaustion and malnutrition.
But Cover the Night will show that the activists have not given up, Lunn said. The event isn’t a 15-minutes-of-fame video, but rather a movement that will continue until African children can live a life without Kony, she said.
“This is not a political issue. This is not a country issue. This is a human issue,” she said.
Despite the criticism, Watkins said she’s satisfied that the video stirred the pot, which was Invisible Children’s goal.
Watkins said many other
worldly issues similar to the one in Africa need attention, but the Kony 2012 initiative is a good way to start.
“It allows people to realize that they can make a difference in something no matter how old or young they are,” she said. “All it takes is them realizing that and finding something they can put their energy, emotions and passion into.”
 
____
Contact Ferris McDaniel at [email protected]