OrangeBand kicks off action week

Weeklong series of events to promote discussion on local, international issues

Sylva Florence / senior photographer Kakahama Askary, assistant professor of religion, discusses the varying interpretations of war amid cultures as he speaks to students during "Perspectives on Iraq" open discussion.

OrangeBand kicked off this semester’s Action Campaign with "Perspectives on Iraq" on Friday, continuing OrangeBand’s goal of promoting open discussion on campus.

This semester’s Action Campaign will talk about bursting the JMU bubble for its local issue, the state of water for its national issue and U.S. foreign aid for its international issue.

"Perspectives on Iraq" let various speakers share their perspectives on the war, as well as providing an open forum to discuss the issue. Some of the speakers included Earl Martin, a resident of Harrisonburg who lived in wartime Vietnam for five years, Bill Pendleton, a resident of Sunnyside Retirement Home and a veteran of World War II, professor Cindy Hunter of the social work department and senior David Reichbaum, a co-leader of a recent Alternative Spring Break trip to Fisher House veterans hospital.

The importance of open dialogue was a prevalent theme throughout the presentation. "Regardless of what our opinions are, we can meet in the middle," Hunter said.

Reichbaum said during his ASB trip, many evenings were spent with families of soldiers, and how they needed someone to talk to.

Martin said working with victims of warfare allowed him to see that war is not about weaponry. "War is about people," Martin said.

The Sociology Club, who co-sponsored this event with OrangeBand, was motivated to get the issue of the war in Iraq out on campus. Senior Sara Newman, president of the Sociology Club, said, "we wanted to see more discussion around larger events." Newman said the idea for this event came from the concern of the war and how people were not discussing the issue.

Past OrangeBand Action Campaigns have encompassed a range of issues. The fall 2004 Action Campaign discussed the presidential election, and the spring 2004 Action Campaign addressed AIDS and famine in Africa, voting in America, and immigrants, migrants and refugees. Laura Johnson, one of the co-coordinators of this semester’s Action Campaign, said OrangeBand as a whole decides what issues will be discussed. "We’re taking the discussion element to a new level," Johnson said.