Peace Yes War No

Books by Kalamu ya Salaam

* * * * *

PEACE YES / WAR NO
By Kalamu ya Salaam

How do we stop the madness? What is the role of the artist in the worldwide struggle for peace? Can we really make change by demonstrating? There are so many questions. The Bush forces look invincible. Can we really make a difference?

Win or lose, the truth is we have no choice. There really is no where to hide from the war. Moreover, whether we are ready to accept the truth, the fact is our tax dollars are paying for the bombs, the bullets, the military might that Bush & Co. are slinging around the world. Whether we believe it or not, unless we actively oppose them, we are tacitly supporting Bush’s new world order.

Writers and other artists have a choice to make. Will we actively work for peace or will we excuse ourselves from participating in demonstrations because we are busy creating our art. I do not believe it is enough to write anti-war poems. We need to be on the front lines. We need to be organizing. We need to set the example.

It is inspirational to see poets on picket lines, to see dancers participating in marches, to see visual artists carrying signs. Our participation as artists actively encourages the people. When artists march, the people know something important is happening.

Yes, we need committed artwork, but what we really need is committed artists. Whether we create anti-war art, we need artists demonstrating active support for the anti-war effort. Our presence is important. Our presence is more than a personal statement. Our presence adds weight to the movement and volume to the voices raised in opposition to war.

Most of us in the United States have never actually seen war or the effects of war. But war is not simply an abstraction that will take place in some other part of the world. War is an awful reality that diminishes humanity and, especially given modern day weapons, war damages the environment. War maims and kills people, pollutes and despoils the earth.

On the other hand, fighting this war will not be easy. In New Orleans we set a goal of mobilizing 200 people to participate in the March 15th demonstration. We accounted for approximately 75 people. There is a deep apathy in our community.

We were organized on a cell system. Each cell consisting of a captain and five people who came out to demonstrate. We had 17 people sign up to be captains. One captain said she didn’t expect it to be so hard to convince five people to participate. When I asked one person to march for peace, they said, “a piece of what?” That’s when I realized how hard it would be.

In addition to the general apathy, we in New Orleans had another strike against our organizing effort. The annual Black Heritage Festival took place at the same time in Armstrong Park and N’Cobra was holding a regional Reparations conference at nearby public school. The folk involved in those priorly-planned activities were the main folk we would normally expect to see in support of anti-war efforts.

A major festival and the Reparations conference not withstanding, on Saturday, March 15th over 1500 people turned out for a march from Congo Square to Jackson Square. This was the largest peace demonstration in New Orleans in decades, and at least 10% of the march consisted of Black folk. If the demonstration had been for the 22nd we would undoubtedly have had more Black people, but struggle is not based on convenience.

There is no ideal time to struggle. The call came to demonstrate on the 15th and we had to respond regardless of the obstacles we faced. I remember the early days of the Civil Rights movement and how difficult it was to convince people that we could make a difference, that we could change the laws, that we could influence the local, state and federal government to change their segregationist policies and practices. At that time the majority of Black people did not believe systemic change was possible. But we persisted and, as they say, the rest is history.

Well, history is made everyday. We are at another major turning point in history and have an opportunity to significantly change the direction in which America is headed. We have an opportunity to participate in a worldwide movement for peace. The peace movement is not going to disappear once Bush begins bombing Baghdad.

Some of our people argue that we should not spend time and resources participating in a white liberal-led movement. I understand the distrust of liberalism, especially on liberalism of “middle class, white Americans.” But the peace movement is really a world movement and not a white movement.

Surely, we need to stand in support of the people of Angola, Cameroon and Guinea who withstood incredible pressure from the U.S. government. Those nations refused to cave-in to Bush threats or to Bush attempts at buy-outs and cooption. Those governments could easily have taken the money and said yes! But they stood firm on their beliefs. Look at Chile, which experienced a U.S.-backed coup against their elected President Allende. Chile had first hand experience with the callous interference of the U.S. government, but they still refused to be bought or cowed by threats. And then there is Mexico, which is so dependent on America for its economic survival. Regardless of the consequences, they refused to be bullied into co-signing war. Pakistan, who is America’s chief ally in the worldwide anti-terror campaign, also was steadfast in refusing to support war on Iraq.

None of those six nations are “white” countries. Nor is Turkey, whose politicians turned down six billion dollars cash and promises of at least nine billion more in loans and guarantees! The truth is that the frontline of opposition to the war consists of Third World countries who were forced into the unenviable position of having to actively refuse to go along with the Bush administration. The fact that the majority of anti-war participants in the United States are white is no rationale for declining to join this worldwide struggle.

The question is not are most of the participants white, the question is simply this: is the peace position the right position? Dr. King opposed the war in Vietnam, and I am sure he would have opposed a war on Iraq. Malcolm X was a Muslim, there is no question where he would have stood on the Iraq war question.

Finally, the fact is that every penny spent on the war reduces the dollars available for education, health care and other vital social services that our people so desperately need. The cost of bullets alone is larger than the total amount of money spent on education.

Fighting the war and struggling for peace is our issue. Our task is to bring clarity to the issues. Our task is to be actively involved in opposing war and in working for peace. Our task is to make a better and more beautiful world. Don’t co-sign the Bush push for war with your silence and your refusal to take a stand. Join the worldwide call for peace.