Stop the War: Organize for Justice at Home
by Steve Donkin
December 2001/ January 2002
Volume 38, Number 10
WeÕre all well aware of the horrors of war. However, many
progressives and revolutionaries throughout history have also noted
that war, for all its negative attributes, creates huge chinks in the
systemÕs facade of stability and prosperity which offer the possibility
of real change for the better. When bombs are raining down on innocent
civilians, many find it difficult to believe that we have achieved the
pinnacle of civilized society. Thus, while war makes obvious the hidden
barbarities of capitalism and imperialism, it also provides an opportunity
for real systemic change, if the Left recognizes and seizes that opportunity.
Examples of this abound throughout modern history. Disillusionment
followed World War I, as soldiers returning from the slaughter of the
front found an economic system that continued to oppress the workers
who had fought to defend it. This reinvigorated the labor movement in
both Europe and the U.S.. After World War II, similar disillusionment
among U.S. blacks who had sacrificed greatly and received little in
return gave birth to the civil rights movement, while the Indochinese
took advantage of post-war instability to finally cast out French colonialism.
Right now, we are in yet another war that offers the potential
for building a lasting movement for peace and justice even as we agitate
to end the war.
We need to get back to basics. Movements are not built
by dragging the usual suspects out to yet another routine demonstration
at the White House, or by holding multiple teach-ins for the already
converted. We must expand our numbers by orders of magnitude, and that
means reaching out to the numerous pockets of dissent that exist all
around us yet remain disconnected from one another.
Allies exist in many places. Organized labor is one such
ally. Although many labor leaders have jumped on the pro-war bandwagon,
many among the rank-and-file have serious reservations as they watch
massive lay-offs and decreased bargaining power threaten the livelihoods
of working families across the country. The Labor Committee for Peace
and Justice is one example of a grassroots anti-war effort initiated
by local trade unionists.
Churches and communities of faith are another source of
allies. Jesus set an example for his followers by remaining active in
the fight for justice in this world even while preaching about the rewards
of the spiritual world. When he railed against the Òscribes,Ó ÒPhariseesÓ
and Òhypocrites,Ó he was taking on the Bushes, Cheneys and Ashcrofts
of his day. In the same way, those who pray for peace today need to
be encouraged to augment prayers with action.
A third very important, but often neglected, source of
allies can be found in working-class neighborhoods, particularly communities
of color and immigrant communities. These communities are often the
first to feel the negative impacts of our spiraling war economy, and
are frequently well aware of the injustices of war.
The fact is that many people, particularly those with
few economic resources to rely on, are already raising questions about
the war. In recent weeks, the Outreach Working Group of the D.C. Anti-War
Network (D.A.W.N.) has been conducting door-to-door canvassing in neighborhoods
like DCÕs Anacostia. We ask people what their views are on the war,
what concerns they have, and how they think the community can and should
respond. Many people are gratified that someone is actually asking their
opinion, rather than telling them what to think. Time and again, we
have found overwhelming sentiment against the war, in stark contrast
to the numerous pro-war poll results reported by the media.
It makes perfect sense: many people in low- and moderate-income
communities, communities of color, and immigrant communities already
have a deep and justified mistrust of the government. When the President
calls upon such citizens to stand behind him, the immediate response
is ÒWhy should we, when you have so often failed to stand behind us?Ó
And many more are led to ask why they should support yet another war
for corporate interests, who stand to gain everything yet sacrifice
nothing, while we are expected to relinquish our public resources, our
civil liberties, and indeed even our lives for this misguided venture?
Many people already realize that the Òwar against terrorismÓ
is just another war of nations. The West needs to enlarge its dominance
in the oil-rich Middle East by conquering Afghanistan, a major potential
pipeline route from the northerly sources of oil to the southerly shipment
ports. Along the way, maybe the corporate elite will revisit unfinished
business in Iraq, finally removing the regime there (which it in fact
helped to create, once upon a time) in order to solidify its control
of the region. All this will occur at a staggering cost in terms of
lost human lives, decimated cultures, and increased insecurity for those
on the bottom of the economic ladder.
In response to this war of violence, we must wage a war
of organized resistance and peaceful agitation. We need to turn this
war into a war between the oppressed and the oppressors, the have-nots
and the haves, the people and the ruling elite. We can only build the
movement for a just world by organizing from below, at the grassroots.
Community outreach and education activities are ongoing
and include door-to-door canvassing in D.C.Õs neighborhoods and local
community forums. Right now we are focusing on Anacostia, but we want
to expand throughout the city and we need your help. Please join us!
Steve Donkin is Outreach Coordinator for the D.C.
Statehood Green Party and also works with the Outreach/Education Working
Group of the D.C. Anti-War Network (D.A.W.N.). He can be reached at
(202) 986-9438 or sdonkin@smart.net.
