Great American Peace March

—January, 2008: Washington, DC

There’s a quintessential experience that Our Nation’s Capital may still offer the timely traveler. In hopes that it’s not a relic of American days gone by, let us raise our glasses in an anniversary toast to the Great American Peace March.

On January 27, 2007, hundreds of national and local groups came to Washington DC for an estimated 500,000-strong peace march on the National Mall. The scheduled three days of antiwar activities, spearheaded by the coalition United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ), offered workshops leading to a day of Congressional lobbying. Participants called for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, full funding of veterans’ benefits, aid for reconstruction of Iraq under Iraqi control, and redirection of tax dollars for social programs at home.

Workshops offered training in issues and strategies that would prepare over 1,000 grassroots lobbyists to bring their message to the new Congress on the following day. These workshops included Talking to Your Representative about Iraq’s Oil, Ending Oil Wars through a Clean Energy Revolution, Investigation and Impeachment, and 3rd Party Alternatives.

Tight security was evident in the frequent thumping of police helicopters in the bright sunlight over the Mall. A small cordon of Washington’s finest maintained an air of good-natured discipline on the ground. Toward the mid-point of the Mall, at the Washington Monument, roped-off sections kept the marchers from spilling over into the predominantly tourist area. Visitors waiting to use the monument elevator for a favorite view of the city were largely unaware of the antiwar demonstration. In spite of this containment of the event, a broad strip of lawn nearby had drawn some 200 people who were standing, sitting, and lying in formation, to form the letters I-M-P-E-A-C-H, visible from the top of the Washington Monument.

Placards and sandwich boards expressed the concerns of a broad range of interest groups, from Veterans for Peace to Hairstylists for Peace and Justice—U.S. OUT OF IRAQ NOW; IMPEACH BUSH FOR WAR CRIMES; WE ARE THE DECIDERS; NO MORE BLOOD FOR OIL; STOP THE RACIST WAR. An old spirit-of-76 American flag flew above an affirmation that PEACE IS PATRIOTIC; and a smattering of long-haired youth in tie-dyed shirts evoked historical memories. They carried a STOP THE WAR placard with a Vietnam-era peace sign drawn inside the O.

In another time-capsuled moment, keynote speakers Jane Fonda and Reverend Jesse Jackson addressed the thousands gathered. “We’re proud to be here,” said Ms. Fonda, “but so sad because of the carelessness and thoughtlessness that is allowing a country to be destroyed.” In cadences of the preacher, Reverend Jackson affirmed the need to bring war funds home.

Around the sober rhetoric, a carnival air prevailed. Some of the marchers photographed each other as they streamed out of the Metro Station onto the Mall, mixing with tourists who were doing the same. Amplified bongo rhythms resounded from the steps of the National History Museum as a small brass section—three trumpets and a tuba—paraded toward the staging area near the Capitol. In front of the Smithsonian castle, Hip-Hop music and poetry competed with the merry-go-round as it whirled to uninterrupted calliope music. The assorted colors and costumes of laughing children, Starbuck’s coffee-drinkers and other passers-by were punctuated by the Brazilian rhythms and whistles of a group of marchers in full Mardi Gras regalia.

As the marchers set off on their short loop around the back of the Capitol building, an elderly demonstrator caught a moment’s rest. Floating listlessly above his camouflage suit and hunter’s cap, a hand-drawn placard said, simply—STOP THE MADNESS.

© Copyright 2008 by Cary Kamarat.

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