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THE
ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT
BY
REBECCA GORDON What do Denton, Tex., Easton, Md., Columbus, Ohio and Falmouth, Mass. have in common with New York City, San Francisco and Chicago? They all have vibrant people organizing for peace and justice. A year into the “war on terrorism,” people all over the U.S. are finding ways to express their opposition to the war program. In St. Louis, Mo., a coalition of religious, peace and justice organizations holds dozens of “Instead of War” picnics. Hosts invite neighbors and co-workers to hear a different perspective on the “war on terrorism”—and also offer guests the chance to sign a peace pledge, join a vigil and participate in a town hall meeting with their congressional representatives. In October, the coalition will demonstrate outside a Boeing plant where “smart” bombs are made. In
Puerto Rico, people rally for peace and to end the U.S. Navy’s use
of Vieques Island as a practice bombing range. The
911 Peace Coalition of Orange County, Calif. holds monthly Peace Walks
“through high-traffic public areas, like malls and public piers.
We wear our peace messages on our clothes.” MOVEMENT IN THE MAKING September 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows brings together members of more than 40 families whose relatives died at the World Trade Center or the Pentagon. Their members tour the country, speaking out against war. Another new group is Racial Justice/9-11, a nationwide coalition that seeks to mobilize communities of color against the “war on terrorism” at home and abroad. It is planning a week of Sept. 11 anniversary actions in more than a dozen cities nationwide. ANSWER
(Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) is a nationwide coalition. It
is calling for demonstrations on October 26. The National Student Coalition
for Peace and Justice is building unity among student anti-war groups. The National Network to End the War Against Iraq created a national series of coordinated events to span the week of Aug. 6, which is the anniversary both of the atomic attack on Hiroshima, and more recently, of the imposition of sanctions on Iraq. Over 35 cities in 28 states witnessed events ranging from marches and teach-ins to coordinated call-ins to Congress opposing escalation of the war on Iraq. Do
all these widespread grassroots activities add up to an organized national
peace movement? Not quite yet. But the revitalization of existing groups
and coalitions—and the emergence of new ones—is certainly
an encouraging sign that the next national anti-war mobilization could
grow beyond the 100,000 plus who demonstrated for peace last April 20.
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