https://pittnews.com/article/39547/archives/anti-war-rally-gathers-on-soldiers-sailors-lawn/
SEPTEMBER 23, 2002
As talks of a possible attack on Iraq continue, an anti-war movement is in full swing right… As talks of a possible attack on Iraq continue, an anti-war movement is in full swing right here at Pitt.
The Thomas Merton Center held an anti-war rally on the lawn of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Saturday afternoon. Nearly 100 community leaders, activists, students and concerned citizens attended the event.
Sayed Saleh Waziruddin, board member of the Thomas Merton Center, led a small march from Carnegie Mellon University to the scene of the rally. The marchers carried signs and chanted, “What do we want? Peace. When do we want it? Now. Bush says regime change. We say he’s deranged.”
As the rally commenced, participants held signs, some made with care and some quickly written with marker on fliers. Some sayings were: “Each life is good,” and “I love America. I hate its actions.”
The Reverend Todd Davis, a participant in the rally, said, “I am here because I believe Bush is going to get the U.S. in great trouble. He is alienating the U.S. from all the nations of the world by acting unilaterally.”
Concerned citizen, poet, and Thomas Merton Center volunteer Cecilia Wheeler expressed her reasons for participating.
“We are united here to stop a war on Iraq. We don’t think there’s been enough evidence to start a war,” she said. “We want sanctions against Iraq down. There’s been too much suffering for the people in Iraq since ’91.”
The protest consisted of rallying speeches given by guest speakers, such as a medical expert, a journalist, a teen-age activist, professors and religious leaders. There was also satirical music, created by Anne Feeney and Chris Chandler, often met with random outbursts of supportive chanting.
Ginny Hildebrand and Waziruddin quieted the protesters and introduced the speakers. Throughout the speeches, the protesters would show support for a point and after each speech, the crowd would applaud.
Iskander Langalibalele spoke for Azania Heritage International and Unite ‘N Resist. He voiced his reasons for believing war in Iraq is wrong.
“We have a president not democratically elected,” he said. “Why [is the Bush administration] attacking human beings?”
Langalibalele had a charge for the group.
“We have to change the whole system and the whole society. We need to bring about a change,” he said. “Where is the courage? We need to build this into a mass movement.”
Brother Yusef Ali from the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh voiced his beliefs about the protest.
“Americans have to create a climate so that people can be able to think and express themselves without being considered unpatriotic,” he said.
He continued, speaking about compassion. His final words became a chant, “Let’s make war no more.”
As a change of pace, Feeney, playing the guitar, and Chandler, vocalist with a megaphone, performed a song that related the administration to a hypothetical carnival. The song, which evoked a great deal of laughter, had a harsh undertone and made points regarding the economy and hypocrisy.
The Reverend Renee Waun, from the East Suburban Unitarian Universalist Church, said that she called the President and insisted that concerned citizens do the same.
“I am downright embarrassed and ashamed at what our president is doing,” she said. “This is our last opportunity to show moral leadership to the world.”
She expressed her ultimate fears as to what might happen as a result of an attack on Iraq.
“It’s going to be the beginning of a really awful time in history, and we’re going to be blamed for it,” she said.
In summation, Waun articulated the decision America has to make.
“We have a choice,” she said, “to seize the high moral moment or to be lost in the despair of immoral mayhem.”
Molly Rush, host and founder of the Thomas Merton Center, rallied more support.
“There is a strong movement against war in Iraq,” she said. “We are going to need to depend on each other. I am thinking about civil disobedience again.”
The rally ended after about an hour. As the participants dispersed, they picked up fliers with the phone numbers and addresses for congressmen and the White House.
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