Michigan Peaceworks March on DC

A Youth Activist Network Diary, Jan 27th By High School students Liz and Nick Mitchel

Michigan Peaceworks arranged to take three charter buses to DC. They
weren't very comfortable, but the people on them were pretty
entertaining. Eventually we all got some sleep.

When we rode the metro into the city, we met a couple of people from
New York, there for the peace march like us. It's refreshing to see the
lengths people take to stand up for what they believe in.

Someone on one of the Ann Arbor buses gave Jason Pearson this sign. He
refused to put it down all day. Hundreds of people took photos of it,
including some journalists.

Yousef Rabhi posed with the 'Peace Flag' for an early
morning photo. We all pretty much agreed we want one of those flag

This photo is reminiscent of "Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima" during
World War II. Now we're raising the flag on DC to prevent World War III.

Our group stopped to see the White House. You can't tell, but it's
behind us. We held the flag too close to the fence, and it blew over. A
guard chastised us, ironically.

I suppose seeing the White House is a rule when visiting the capital, but the mood wasn't exactly about paying respects to the president, if you know what I mean.

We visited the Vietnam Memorial, and could see the Washington Monument from there. It was a really cool perspective.

Some activists from West Virginia made a memorial similar to the
Vietnam wall, with the names of all the American troops killed so far in
Iraq. On it, I found the name of a guy who graduated from my high school,
Gary Koehler.

Even though we anticipated a large turnout, seeing the immense crowd as
the rally began was shocking. 

I don't think this really requires a caption. I think it was the most
eloquent sign I saw at the march.

Joel had a binder full of letters people had written to Congress, which
were delivered a couple of days after the march.

During the rally, we weren't able to hear any of the speakers, thanks
to guys like this one leading chants. One of my favorites was "That's
bullshit! Get off it! This war is for profit!"

I've never seen so many people (400,000!) headed in the same direction,
for a single purpose. If we could unite people around causes like
people were united here, it would be amazing what we could accomplish.

Iraq Veterans Against the War led the march, all the while telling
about their experiences in the war. That made the cause all the more
pertinent.

Grow a backbone, Congress. (The other side says
"Indict-Impeach-Imprison.")

At the end of the march, a bunch of people sat around in a circle and
sang "One Love" by Bob Marley.

We went back to the bus satisfied after a long day and a job well done.
We earned a new appreciation for the peace movement, and are extremely
grateful for this opportunity. We'd like to thank Michigan Peaceworks
and the people who sponsored us.