September 23nd, 2003

Dear fellow students of the United States and world,

We are students from ten universities across the United States. We call on you, our fellow students--both college and high school--in the United States and around the world, to join in a 24 hour fast on October 18th to draw attention to the struggle of our fellow students in the Southeast Asian country of Burma.

For many years, Burma has been ruled by one of the world's most brutal military dictatorships. The dictators use murder, rape, and torture to maintain their grip on power, even though the people have already chosen democracy.

Students have always been at the forefront of calling for change in Burma, and they have paid a heavy price. One student, Min Ko Naing (pronounced Min Ko Nine), organized a nationwide uprising in an attempt to overthrow Burma's regime--for this, he has been tortured, imprisoned, and held in solitary confinement since 1989. Many other brave students are also behind bars while
others continue to organize "underground" resistance to Burma's regime.

October 18th is Min Ko Naing's birthday, and we urge you to refuse to eat on this day and hold a film screening and/or other activities in order to draw attention to the student struggle in Burma.

Let us know you're participating by sending an email to jacobso2@uwm.edu,
and we'll send you a great DVD on Burma and materials for the fast.

Sincerely,

Kim Jacobson, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee

Naw Musi, Hartwick College

Gwynn Guilford, Columbia University

Dominic Nardi, Georgetown University

Jacqui Pilch, American University

Elliott Bynum, George Washington University

Amy Howlett, Fordham University

Cristina Moon, University of Chicago

Deirdre Malady, University of Maine

Bonnie Jean Alford, University of Illinois at Chicago