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report on west coast anti-war conference
On November 10th 25 students from the UCLA Student Coalition Against the War (SCAW) drove to Berkeley to the California Schools Against War conference. The conference, was intended to unite students across California to educate each other about issues concerning the war, how to organize people against the war, and learn about the varying activity on each campus.
At the conference there were many groups such as ours convening from 70 different colleges? Some came from as far north as Washington, Arizona, and one from a university in Mexico. On the first day of the conference speakers included a member of the anti-war student coalition in Berkeley. Noura Erekat spoke on her experience as a Palestinian in America and how Muslim communities have been affected by the racist backlash since September 11th. “ Even in Berkeley” she said, “ a group of Muslim women were spat on near the University”. Another speaker was Amiri Baraka, a poet and activist. He performed a poem asking, “ who are to blame,” not only for the September 11th attacks, but also for the oppression of people worldwide? Both received a standing ovation for their impassioned speeches.
After having a vegetarian lunch provided by the Berkeley anti-war coalition attendees were invited to attend several organizing workshops on a variety of topics from discussing how to convince others to become active against the war to connection between the CIA, Oil and the Taliban to the correlation of labor and war. The workshops ended at 5pm.
On Sunday, the delegate workshop meetings began early. Five delegates from each school coalition were able to discuss and vote on proposals and concerns brought to the conference. These concerns included how the members of the conference would function, suggestions on how to organize within a conservative environment, efforts on making the coalitions include more people of color and white women, and how to reach out from student milieus to the working class.
The end of the conference strained patience but spirits were high. A national day of action was planned ( December 8th, more information on that later ) and the final tally of attendance was 600. Along with 70 other attending campuses, the UCLA Student Coalition Against the War will be fighting against the war with full momentum knowing it is not alone in its efforts.
The UCLA Student Coalition Against the War has existed as a group on UCLA’s campus since the September 11th attacks. Through teach-in’s, rallies, and attending protests SCAW has maintained a membership of 40 constant people at its weekly meetings and more than 100 people attending our events. We are made up of anarchists, socialists, intellectuals, artists, and students new to activism. Our three points of unity are:
1) NO TO WAR: MILITARY ACTION WON’T STOP TERRORISM!
2) STOP RACIST SCAPEGOATING ON ARAB AND MUSLIM COMMUNITIES!
3) DEFEND OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES!
We are however, interested in not only organizing the other activists on UCLA’s campus, but also engaging groups around the LA area. Our membership is diverse in age and religious background and we welcome those who agree with our three points of unity to join or coalition.
Socialist Action, which is a member of SCAW, realizes that this war, like all other wars before it, will only cost civilian’s money, and the lives of the sons and daughters. We are interested in not only stopping terrorism and this war, but also war for oil and profit. We understand that the only way this will be achieved is through a struggle against those who force this war upon us, the ruling class, who seek to gain and maintain profits at the expense of working people.
It is important that those who know of the war in Afghanistan realize the war being fought at home. Our jobs are being taken away by the thousands, and still the pockets of those companies continues to grow fat. Because of this fact it is not only important that we educate ourselves on the situation of Afghanistan and at home but we educate others whom may have opposing views. Talking to others who are against the war is easy, but to build a movement to stop this war will take more than that. It will take efforts to talk to our families, organize in school and at work. It will take our power to inspire and at the same time to enrage those around us just as it did in Vietnam and get us out of this war.
If you would like to get involved with the UCLA anti-war coalition ( SCAW ) contact us at: . Our meetings are Monday @ 7pm at UCLA.
The article above was written by Julia Wallace.
