Today at my friend John Gillman’s book signing “Footsoldier for Peace and Justice: The Story of John Gilman”, it occurred to me how those in the movement for human rights and to end war and violence has changed since the 60’s when I first knew John. I remember discussions and conversation in which we had strong disagreements. However, when it came to action we were always united and always supportive of each other.
I saw some friends from those days at the book signing. One of them still active in peace and justice efforts told me, when I pressed him for support of our efforts for No More War Spending and our efforts To Teach War No More at Marquette University, that these were “my issues” which he respected but he had his own issues which I needed to respect. When we worked together with our common friend John in the 60’s there was no talk of “my issue” and “your issue.”
As my friend reminded me there are many issues today and only so much time in the day, but still I cannot understand why on major issues where we can make a local difference we cannot stand united. In the 60’s as well as today I do not think that any particular political or social issues were “my issues”. It seems to me we just worked on what was in front of us and it came naturally as the right thing to do.
Marquette University at the time was institutionally closed to minority groups. We both were part of a group of students that fought against what we called “institutional racism.” Some of us were arrested on campus, suspended from school, and lost our degrees, but eventually we prevailed and Marquette started a program that opened the university to minority students. We took these risks and actions because they were right things to do.
My friend reminded the group gathered today that one of the first graduates of the program that resulted from our efforts at Marquette was a young African-American woman who is now our Congresswoman. She was elected with the full support of the peace and justice persons like my friend and me. She prided herself as a peace candidate. However, in the last year, since President Obama has been president, she has done a complete turnaround on war spending and other peace and justice issues and now votes for war spending. Now some of us are trying to hold her accountable for her war spending record, and my friend of the past and others active in the past want no part of it.
Also Marquette, the school where we struggled against “institutional racism” now has “institutionalized” the teaching of war and violence with its departments of the Army, Navy/Marines and Air Force on campus. This too is called “my issue.”
Struggling against racism, violence, militarism, for peace and justice is what I did in the 60’s and what I do today. It is not “my issue”. My message of peace and justice was the same in the 60’s as it is today. If the young African American woman given the opportunity to attend Marquette University becomes the person now supporting more money for war and violence, I cannot change my beliefs and principles. I must hold her accountable as my representative. I feel sad about my friends having a different opinion, and I should be considerate and respectful to them as I need to be with anyone whom I do not agree with. However, it is harder to be this way, and not get angry, when fellow “footsoldiers for peace and justice” do not support and join you. I remember being told once about an ancient saying something like: “Good persons have good friends but great persons have great enemies.”
Comments
(:commentboxchrono:)