Simon Deng

Simon Aban Deng is a human rights activist living in the United States. A native of the Shilluk Kingdom in southern Sudan, he spent several years as a child slave until escaping and thereafter applying for asylum in the U.S. and taking U.S. citizenship. Among his many human rights activities, Deng launched the Sudan Freedom Walk in 2006, culminating in a meeting at the White House with President Bush; created a European version of the Walk later that year to The Hague calling on the International Criminal Court to press charges against the president of Sudan for war crimes; staged a 45 day hunger strike in 2015 outside the White House, calling on the U.S. government to play a more active role in supporting peace in South Sudan, helping to prompt President Obama’s trip to the African Union in Ethiopia. Deng is the recipient of numerous awards, including the ADL’s Heroes Against Hate (2006) and U.N. Watch’s Freedom Award (2011). In addition to his activism work, he is a lifeguard at Coney Island.