WHO IS BRIAN STEIDLE?
Brian Steidle grew up living around the world as the son of a naval officer.  He graduated with a B.S. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University in 1999 and received a commission in the U.S. Marine Corps as an infantry officer.  He completed his service with the USMC at the end of 2003 as a Captain.  In January 2004, he accepted a contract position with the Joint Military Commission in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan working on the North-South ceasefire, now peace treaty.  Within seven months he worked his way up from a Team Leader to the Senior Operations Officer.  In September 2004, Brian was then invited to serve in Darfur as an unarmed military observer and U.S. representative to the African Union.  He was one of only three Americans serving with a coalition of African countries monitoring the ceasefire between the two African rebel groups and the Government of Sudan.  After six months, Brian’s conscience would no longer allow him to stand by without taking further action, and he became convinced that he could be more effective by bringing the story of what he witnessed to the world.

Since Brian's return from Darfur, he has spoken at over 100 public awareness events in communities and at universities across the country, including Harvard, Princeton, Stanford and UCLA.  The Save Darfur Coalition sponsored a special speaking tour in Spring 2006 which took Brian 22,000 miles across our nation for over 50 events. Brian has met with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, U.S. Ambassador and Alternate Representative to the UN on Special Policy Issues Holliday, and U.S. Ambassador to the UN on War Crimes Prosper.  He has spoken before the UN Human Rights Commission, the British House of Commons, the Congressional Black Caucus and the Senate Republican Steering Committee, and he has officially testified before the Human Rights and Africa Subcommittee of the Congressional Foreign Relations Committee. He remains an advisor to numerous NGOs regarding their policies on Darfur.

Documentary Film
THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK

Official Sundance 2007 Selection
www.thedevilcameonhorseback.com

Brian is the subject of a documentary film produced by Break Thru Films in association with Global Grassroots and Three Generations, which recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, January 2007. 

The Devil Came on Horseback will expose the violence and tragedy of the genocide in Darfur as seen through the eyes of a lone American witness. Using nearly 1000 photographs taken by former U.S. Marine Captain Brian Steidle during his 6-month role as a military observer with the African Union, the film, leads you through the tragic impact of an Arab government bent on destroying its black African citizens.  As an official military observer, Steidle had access to parts of the country that no journalist could penetrate.  He was unprepared for what he would witness and experience including being fired upon, taken hostage, and being unable to intervene to save the lives of young children.  Ultimately frustrated by the inaction of the international community, Steidle resigned and returned to the U.S. to expose the images and stories of lives systematically destroyed. 

Learn More:
www.breakthrufilms.org
www.threegenerations.org

Make a tax deductible donation to our film.  Profits earned will go towards work with genocide survivors in Africa: www.globalgrassroots.org - contact Gretchen Wallace

To learn more about our film's upcoming release: 

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Brian's Memoir
THE DEVIL CAME ON HORSEBACK

Available March 27, 2007
www.publicaffairsbooks.com

Brian's memoirs from his tenure in Sudan, co-written by his sister, Gretchen Wallace, will be published by PublicAffairs in March 2007.

This intense, vivid report and call to action from the heart of violent Darfur by a military observer for the African Union—a powerful memoir of a Marine’s awakening to conscience—is the first extensive on-the-ground account of the genocide in Sudan.

Since his return, Brian has been interviewed by more than 100 international and national media outlets, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, BBC, CBS Evening News, CNN Wolf Blitzer, Report, CSPAN, NPR’s Morning Edition and Fresh Air, 60 Minutes, ABC Dateline, The Jim Lehrer Show, Fox News Sunday and many others.

Read Brian's Washington Post Op/Ed, March 19, 2005

For interviews, contact:
Jaime Leifer
Senior Publicist
PublicAffairs
250 West 57th Street, Suite 1321
New York, NY 10107
212-397-6666 x532

Digital Photography Darfur/Darfur Exhibit


www.darfurdarfur.org

Brian's photographs from Darfur along with those of five other photojournalists are featured in Darfur/Darfur, a traveling exhibit giving viewers a unique opportunity to experience the imagery of Darfur in a multimedia environment that reveals the horrors of warfare and celebrates a richly multi-cultural region. Launching in New York on September 18th, 2006 the exhibit will travel to 24 cities in 24 months – crossing North America and providing continuing attention to the ongoing killing of innocent peoples and the devastation of their rich cultural heritage.  

Funds raised in connection with Darfur/Darfur will be used to provide public advocacy for solutions to the crisis in Darfur and to assist NGOs providing on the ground medical and social care in the region. Darfur/Darfur is partnered with Global Grassroots.

To see a sample of Brian's photos, go to:
www.ushmm.org/conscience/alert/darfur/steidle/

Contact Brian Steidle to schedule a commissioned project: brian[at]globalgrassroots.org