Infobox biography
name = Brian Steidle
imagesize = 250 px
Brian Steidle is human rights activist, journalist, photographer, and author who had worked on publicizing the Darfur conflict in Sudan. Steidle wrote a book, "The Devil Came on Horseback", about his experience, which was turned into a documentary film that premiered at Sundance in 2007.
Steidle has shared his experience in Darfur with heads of state in the United States and abroad, addressed the U.S. Congress and the United Nations, and serves both as lecturer and advisor to several non-government organizations regarding their humanitarian efforts in Darfur and other nations.
Prior to his work in Darfur, Steidle, the son of a high-ranking U.S. Navy officer, served in the United States Marine Corps from 1999 to 2003, completing his service with the rank of Captain.
Work in Darfur
In September 2004, at the age of 27, Steidle accepted an assignment as one of three U.S. military observers for the African Union in the Darfur region of western Sudan.[cite news | publisher = Washington Post | accessdate = 2007-11-12 | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48943-2005Mar19.html | title = In Darfur, My Camera Was Not Nearly Enough | author = Brian Steidle | date = 2005-03-20] In Darfur, Steidle witnessed the murders of thousands of people, but was not permitted to intervene, though he photographed what he witnessed. After his 6-month contract was completed, Brian resigned the position and returned to the United States to speak out about what he saw.]Steidle returned to Chad to further document and publicize the events taking place there. Steidle wrote of his experiences in Darfur in his book, "The Devil Came on Horseback," a reference to the Janjaweed faction that has been responsible for much of the genocide in Darfur. A documentary film was also produced about Steidle's story. The film, also titled The Devil Came on Horseback is a Break Thru Films production in association with Global Grassroots and Three Generations. The film received significant charitable funding including grants from the Save Darfur Coalition and the Sundance Film Festival. Steidle appears throughout the film, narrating what he witnessed and interviewing survivors in Darfur.
Seeing more need to do something concrete to help, Steidle helped his wife, Andi Scull Steidle, start the organization HOPE (Helping Other People Everywhere) http://www.hopeartists.org which is an energy conscious humanitarian organization focused on involving artists and their contributions in campaigns, programs and events to support existing social projects that promote education and growth around the world.
Steidle has most recently started Steidle Corporation, http://www.steidlecorp.com, which strives to improve the world by providing consulting and investigative work on Human Rights Violations, Crimes Against Humanity, and Crimes of Genocide.
ee also
References
* [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1560981/20070601/id_0.jhtml MTV Feature Article]
* [http://www.brink.com/talk/2772 Interview with Brian Steidle by Danny Peary]
*The Devil Came on Horseback - ISBN ISBN-13: 97815864847
*Brian Steidle
* [http://www.expressnightout.com/content/2007/09/darfurs_apocalyptic_horsemen_brian_steid.php Interview with the Washington Post's Express]
External links
* [http://briansteidle.com Steidle's Personal Website, with links to more information about his efforts]
