Students, professors protest Iraq war

Nadine Reitman Staff Writer

On Saturday, Jan. 27, over 100 Vassar students, teachers, and faculty members attended an anti-war protest in Washington, D.C. The march was organized primarily by United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ), a coalition of over 1,300 local and national groups opposed to the war in Iraq, and it drew crowds from across the country. The Vassar delegation joined thousands of other protestors, estimated at 500,000 by UFPJ but at “tens of thousands” by major news organizations’ coverage of the event.

The event started around 11 a.m. with a rally at the National Mall, which fed into the afternoon march. Speakers included Reverend Jesse Jackson, Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA), and actors Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Danny Glover, and Jane Fonda. The marchers filled the streets, and additional protestors participated from the sidewalks and the steps of surrounding buildings.

While marching, protestors shouted chants such as, “President Bush, hear our shout. Women say ‘Pull Out,’” and “Show me what democracy looks like! This is what democracy looks like!” A few bands played amidst the crowd, and many participants wore elaborate costumes, including imitations of President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in jail uniforms.

According to Black Student Union President Victor Ray ’07, the Vassar contingent began as an effort from Associate Professor of Sociology Diane Harriford, which he joined along with Professor of Sociology Eileen Leonard, Associate Professor of History Ismail Rashid, Assistant Professor of Geography Joe Nevins, Director of Religious and Spiritual Life Sam Speers, Student Activists Union President Jason Wu, and Wayne Nealis of the Field Work Office. Various programs and departments at the College sponsored the trip, including Women’s Studies, American Culture, Geography and Geology, Africana Studies, the Fieldwork Office and the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life.

The Vassar students were joined by 20 Poughkeepsie community members, teachers and students from Oakwood Friends school, and local senior citizens, along with seven Vassar faculty and staff members.

When asked why she attended the march, Kelly Stout ’10 replied, “It’s important that we put pressure on Congress and the president to find a non-military solution to the problem they’ve created.”

The police presence was heavy, and individual protestors occasionally stepped out of bounds, but the march was generally free of violence. The protest’s unifying theme was peace, though factions addressed more specific issues. Many held signs that read, “Iraq Escalation is the Wrong Way,” and “Impeach Bush.” Others asked Congress to end the war or demanded an end to “blood for oil.”

“I don’t think the war was justified in the first place,” said Amanda Waterhouse ’10, who participated in both last Saturday’s march and the anti-war marches in San Francisco last year. “The troop surge accentuates the wrongs of the war. There’s no way it’s going to work, and it’s just going to cause more loss of life,” she said.

At Vassar, the peace march was preceded by a discussion panel entitled “War, Peace, and Justice” on Thursday, Jan. 25. During the discussion three professors and one student gave their thoughts on war in general, the war in Iraq, and civil disobedience.