Spring Break For Peace

Release date: June 13, 2007 |

By Katrina Richter ’07

Most of us would prefer to spend Spring Break sleeping till noon and sipping frozen drinks beside a pool, not trekking through the snow in Washington, D.C. Nevertheless, on March 17, a group of almost 40 Goucher students made their way to our nation's capital to protest the fourth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq by the United States. Organized by Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER), the march drew tens of thousands, including students from more than 75 colleges and universities across the nation. Despite snow, freezing temperatures, and the equally icy counter-protesters, our students demonstrated that at Goucher, there are no sunshine patriots.

It's easy to forget about what is going on Iraq -- or about what is going on in our own country, for that matter. I spent my freshman and sophomore years immersed in college life: Although I still felt strongly about the war, I wasn't actively protesting against it. During my junior year, I gallivanted through Europe and studied the philosophy of politics in Oxford’s Bodlein Library. While my year abroad provided some of the intellectual justification for my political views, students (myself included) tended to pontificate rather than protest. Save a few debates with my conservative flatmates, I, too, forgot.

Then, on Election Day 2006, I met Cindy Sheehan in what has since become the "no-protest zone" in front of the White House. It was a dreary day, but one I will never forget. We stood in the rain for hours, reading the names of all Americans who had been killed in Iraq and laying down a small marker for each one. Although we were only halfway through the list by sunset, I was confident that the new Democratic Congress would bring our troops home.

My encounter with Ms. Sheehan inspired me to spend a little less time studying and a little more time paying attention to the war. As the fall semester drew to a close, I traded my textbooks for her autobiography, Peace Mom. With my younger brother, I volunteered to hand out Christmas presents and calling cards at a local VA hospital and attended a vigil to commemorate the 3,000th soldier killed in Iraq.

On January 27, I joined with my hometown Philadelphia chapter of CodePink Women for Peace to bring the "Mandate for Peace" to Washington, DC. Participants encircled the Capitol and made "J27" one of the largest citizen demonstrations in the history of the war in Iraq. I decided to forego my first day of spring-semester classes to participate in a lobbying day organized by United for Peace and Justice. I became the youngest (and only college student) member of Pennsylvania's anti-war delegation. After that, I decided to dedicate the remainder of my senior year to peace.

This decision surprised a lot of my friends; after all, I'm not majoring in peace studies. I am a history major, however, and my study of history has helped bolster my commitment to peace. From my focus on colonial American history in my coursework, I have learned that activism is an important part of any democracy. I am still very inspired by the ideals of this country and what our forefathers envisioned for the United States.

Back on campus, I enlisted the help of several clubs, including the Goucher Student Labor Action Committee, Amnesty International, Campus Democrats, and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. Once I got the ball rolling, several students offered their assistance, and Associate Professor of History Kaushik Bagchi invited me to speak to one his classes. I organized a screening of "The War Tapes," the award-winning documentary filmed by U.S. soldiers on the front lines of the conflict. I visited several clubs and designed posters. In one of my lighter moments, I even made 200 "chocolates for peace" by gluing miniature information sheets to fun-size candy bars.

The weeks leading up to the march were very stressful. Since the march was being held during the college’s spring break, I had to arrange special permission for students to stay on campus when the residence halls are normally closed. I learned the complexities of petitioning the SGA for funding to pay for transportation to and from the protest. I also lost the support of several close friends, who either disagreed with my politics or disagreed with what they considered to be naïve idealism on my part. Nevertheless, I made many new friends in the process and received a lot of support from my parents and boyfriend.

The march itself was far from enjoyable. I have never so desperately wanted a hot shower, nor have I ever seen such a vehement and hateful group of counter-protesters. One man walked passed me, noted my CodePink button and screamed, "I hate pink!" They ripped up people's signs, yelled obscenities, and did their best to intimidate anyone who crossed their path. They called us "Al-Qaida Appeasers on Parade" and traitors to our country.

Eventually a group of CodePink members stopped before a group of the "spit shield"-wielding counter-protesters. Rather than engaging in the fray, they started singing "Give Peace a Chance." Then, something amazing happened. Gradually, the cries of the dumbfounded counter-protesters changed from "Traitors!" to simply "U.S.A.!" The CodePink protestors joined them, and soon everyone was chanting in unison.

This made perfect sense to me. After all, I didn’t choose to spend my senior year calling transportation companies because it is fun. The 40 students who chose D.C. didn’t do so because they prefer raw weather to tropical climates. We marched because we are idealistic college students.

We marched because we love this country.

Signs, signs, everywhere a sign
Did your Goucher days include participation in protest marches? What were the issues? Were you inspired to pursue other causes? Do you consider yourself an activist today? Write quarterly@goucher.edu and share your experiences with other Goucher Quarterly readers.