Report from the United for Peace and Justice National Assembly

author : Alice Zillah | Jonathan Coleman topic : Iraq occupation

by Jonathan Coleman

(Edited by Alice Zillah)

The second national assembly of United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ) was held over President's Day weekend in St. Louis, Missouri. Along with Trish Ryder, I had the opportunity to attend as a delegate representing the Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace, one of over 1000 local and national peace organizations that are members of this coalition.

During the conference I began reading David Garrow's biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Bearing the Cross. One of the core debates at the conference -- whether UFPJ should adopt a more anti-imperialist stance, and oppose corporate globalization generally -- was predated by a similar debate in the 1960's about the Vietnam War. Dr. King's own evolution as a political leader led to his questioning of the United States' economic system as a whole, not just the ongoing war.

The present Iraq War, imperialism, racism, and militarism are all products of capitalism. For that reason it would be a mistake for the peace movement to "just focus on Iraq." Dr. King warned us that "unless there is a significant and profound change in American life and policy" we would be "attending rallies without end." If peace activists really want to achieve lasting peace, we need to more forcefully attack the capitalist system itself, and work to construct an alternative economic order.

Angela Davis and Danny Glover

On the second night of the assembly, Saint Louis University's Black Student Alliance and UFPJ co-sponsored a public dialog between the radical activist-philosopher Angela Davis and actor-activist Danny Glover. More than 1,600 people attended the discussion, which was facilitated by Damu Smith, founder of Black Voices for Peace.

The "challenges to broader structures of racism are connected to broader structures of imperialist war," Davis said. "The forces that presume to make the world free and to be spreading democracy are instead spreading war." She spoke extensively about how racism is produced and perpetuated by capitalism. She also spoke of how racism "mutates itself," and how today, Arab Americans, as opposed to African Americans, are its greatest victims. She repeatedly stressed the need for Black America to fight for Muslims' civil rights and for gay rights. At numerous times she was interrupted by loud applause from the entire audience.

Danny Glover talked about his many trips to Africa and Haiti, and stressed the importance of connecting the aims of Black History Month with a more universal cause, by promoting the fight for justice and equity worldwide. "People of African descent live in various places in the world," he said. "We must connect the struggle of black people in this country to the struggle worldwide. Our struggle does not exist in a vacuum."

Glover also spoke about how Dr. King's politics had changed throughout his life. The Dr. King who led the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 was a different Dr. King than the one who accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in 1963, Glover said. Dr. King's continual transformation was evident when he later began to speak out forcefully against the Vietnam War. This was a man who had "connected the relationship of the trouble of black people with the struggle of all people for justice, throughout the world."

Panels and Proposals

The purpose of the assembly itself was not just to discuss strategies and tactics but to actually come to agreement on which ones to adopt and employ. A number of proposals advocating different tactics and strategies were discussed and voted on. Prior to voting, we heard from various panels composed of labor activists, feminist leaders, gay rights activists, immigrant rights advocates, and youth leaders, among others.

Tom Hayden, a California legislator for 18 years, was on the opening panel of the assembly. Hayden drafted an influential letter in January 2005 entitled An Appeal to Global Conscience. "We appeal to all peace and justice movements to stand together as a conscience of the world against the Bush Administration's bloody occupation of Iraq and towards an American Empire," it begins. "We may be in for a long war, but together, we can undermine . . . make it impossible for the American government to continue its course, and begin to plant the foundations of peace."

The most telling thing about the Hayden letter is its emphasis on traditional methods of political lobbying to end the war. Activists should pressure Congress to oppose further Bush administration funding requests for the war and occupation, should support local referendums against the war, should support pro-peace candidates running for elective office, and should work to build non-partisan peace alliances across party lines. As Hayden told the audience in the opening plenary, we need to "keep pressure on" the Congress: "Congress is frozen, and only the grassroots will unfreeze them."

David Cline, national president of Veterans for Peace, was also on that opening panel. Cline spoke from a different perspective: "Having fought in Vietnam, I came back to the war at home and fought in that war as well," he said. "Three factors ended that war -- the continued resistance of the Vietnamese people, popular opposition at home, and the breakdown of the U.S. military. The same three factors, though to a lesser degree, are already at play in Iraq." The anti-war movement, according to Cline, needs to focus on how to support and organize growing opposition here at home, both on the streets and within the U.S. military.

After hearing from the panel speakers, the assembly participants voted on proposals that UFPJ will support for the next year. Judging by the proposals that passed, it seemed that Hayden's beliefs were dominant among conference delegates. The "legislative action" proposal (which basically followed the Hayden's recommendations) passed. Conversely, two proposals that had strong support from most of the younger conference participants -- one calling for UFPJ to implement a nonviolence resistance campaign and one that outlined a "people power strategy" proposal (designed to build a "powerful grassroots movement" and "confront the causes of war and injustice") -- were both defeated.

The Central Question for American Peace Activists

I think anti-war activists need to draw the attention back towards capitalism, and the need to find a viable alternative economic model. In her talk, Angela Davis noted how Bush continually talks about "spreading freedom and democracy" to the Middle-East: "Every time you hear him use those words, freedom and democracy, substitute the word capitalism for those words, and then you'll know what he's really talking about," she said.

In 1966 Dr. King said, "Something is wrong with the economic system of our nation . . . something is wrong with capitalism." With those words, he laid down a challenge to the peace activists of his time and of the future. Will we focus on strategies to end this war by working within the legislative system and economic framework of the United States . . . or will we step back and look and the inherit injustice, and need for imperialist wars, that are the trademarks of capitalism?