Student participation in political initiatives have slacked, this university is no exception
Posted on September 17, 2007
I didn’t spend this weekend catching rays on the quad, or studying diligently in my room like many JMU students did. Instead, I took a trip to Washington, D.C., to join thousands of protesters in the third mass antiwar march I have attended. The tree-hugging hippie somewhere inside me agrees I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday.
At the rally preceding the march, protesters listened to several speakers soliciting their peace-provoking ideas to President Bush, Congress, soldiers in Iraq and anyone else involved in the war.
Those present were there to oppose a plethora of policies put in place by Bush’s administration and top U.S. military officials. From bashing the detention centers at Guantánamo Bay to supporting U.S. troops to demanding impeachment of Bush, everyone voiced their antiwar beliefs while marching united under a banner of common consensus.
An estimated 100,000 protesters marched from the White House to the Capitol to voice their exasperation and resentment about the Iraq war. Answer Coalition’s permit for the protest projected a turnout of only 10,000. Clearly, the word is getting out about how people can effectively vent their opinion among others who share similar views, but students at JMU are not taking advantage of this.
I asked just about everyone I know at JMU if they wanted to come with me to D.C. this weekend. Less than 10 people positively responded, and come early Saturday morning, I was driving to D.C. solo. I don’t know how many JMU students marched this weekend, but if you joined the thousands of protesters, I applaud your activism. I only wish that more JMU students would be energetic in their beliefs.
On my way home, several people approached me in the Metro stations and asked me how the protest went. After telling them how great the experience was, I asked everyone why they didn’t march. I got muddled answers, some saying they were busy, and some just couldn’t make it from their D.C. homes to Pennsylvania Avenue.
I did receive numerous thumbs-ups and even a hushed “way to go,” but not from anyone holding a protest placard. It’s as if some people, even though they may be against the Iraq war, are too embarrassed or too shy to show their support for antiwar initiatives. I proudly carried my “Pay for your war with your taxes” sign in the march, and held it high above my head in front of more than a thousand counterprotesters who lined some of the streets. I am not ashamed to voice my opinion, even when my views are confronted with intense opposition.
I recognize that a lot of people are adamant about protesting the war, and I realize that many do not even share the same political stance. However, I’m sure a lot of students who are against the Iraq war hid behind feeble excuses to not attend the protest, or just simply did not know about it. I urge campus political groups, like the JMU College Democrats, to make an extra effort to inform students about political initiatives they might be interested in. Informing students of events like protests and facilitating communication and transportation are needed. My aspirations to motivate JMU by posting events and bulletins on a couple of social networking Web sites were relatively ineffective when considering the scope of the student community.
My personal experience with the lack of initiative not only from a significant number of JMU students, but those I encountered around D.C. this past weekend is not indicative of the American majority that are apparently opposed to the Iraq war. In an Ipsos Public Affairs poll, released by the Associated Press last week, 65 percent of American adults disapprove of how the Bush administration is handling the situation in Iraq.
I am extremely grateful for the number of people who expressed their antiwar views at the protest, and though I may be asking for too much, I would like to see JMU more clearly represented in that overwhelming majority.
During the Vietnam War, student activism was astounding. Student-led organizations formed during the 1960s and ‘70s, such as Students for a Democratic Society, originating in Michigan and the Free Speech Movement, founded by students at the University of California, Berkeley. These groups joined thousands of people in the nation’s capital and throughout the country during the Vietnam War era to oppose the United States’ actions in Vietnam.
Participation by students during this time not only encouraged change on a national level, but on a hyper-local level as well, improving politics and policies around universities.
This weekend the only aspect of the antiwar protest that was reminiscent of the Vietnam era was the fact that nearly 200 people were arrested during a “die in” demonstration for disorderly conduct and overstepping boundaries at the Capitol established by District police. Instead of seeing the words “arrests” and “riot” in headlines following mass marches in D.C., I would like to see hard-hitting, peaceful opposition at future protests, and I would love to march shoulder to shoulder with some of my fellow Dukes.
Anna Young is a sophomore SMAD and sociology major.
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