Just got back from a whirlwind adventure with my housemates to Columbus, Georgia and back to protest the School of the Americas.
For those who don't know (and don't feel bad, I certainly didn't), the School of the Americas is an American military training school run out of Fort Benning that trains soldiers from South and Latin American countries in combat, counter-insurgency, and counter-narcotics. Graduates of the school have been involved in almost every major human rights abuse in South America, from the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero to the massacre of over 800 civilians at El Mozote to the murder of 6 Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter in San Salvador, and countless others with thousands of victims. Training manuals from the school revealed that teachers were advocating and teaching torture, extortion, and execution. More info can be found at www.soaw.org
Being my first protest, I was pretty uncertain of what I would find. What I found was something strikingly like the Kingdom in action.
20,000 people coming together to stand up against abuse and torture in nonviolent solidarity with our brothers and sisters around the world was enough to move me to tears at one point. Parts of the weekend were deeply touching, like reading the names of known victims one at a time and all responding together "presente". Others were joy-filled, like watching the puppetistas enacting the end of the SOA. And in general, just hanging out with a crowd of 20-something hippies, hipsters, and college students, 60+ vietnam protesters, catholic nuns, buddhists, and peace-loving veterans who were all getting along and standing up for justice was pretty refreshing.
Here's for trying to continually remain 'presente' with our brothers and sisters around the world.
5 comments:
"We are on the side of the poor; on the side of life and hope and nonviolence..."
Awesome man! Thanks for sharing this... I've got some ugly art from sophomore year that was intended as a protest of the SOA but this looks much more interesting and effective!
Used to listen to this a lot when I was mad about it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzOrBWknjkA
Funny how protests have gotten such a bad rap. Most of the time I feel the same roller coaster of fellowship, sadness, and hope.
Thanks for the info about the School of Americas... I had no idea.
Will you be home this week at all?
It'd be nice to see you. I know I said I'd give you a call once I found my voice, but I'm still looking. I think I need to reframe this problem; its led to a semester and a half of fruitlessness and speechlessness.
One last thing... have you ever read anything my Dan McAdams? I'm starting "The Redemptive Self" over T-giving break. It'd be nice to have a reading partner.
Kenny,
I don't tell you enough how much I miss you. I'm going to grab Case and come visit.
yeah - i think i read a smidge about soa in The Irrisistible Revolution. it's neat that you were able to take part in it. paqe ("pach-ay" - peace in albanian).
haha...thats my "edgy, granola -eating hippie" best friend at work! Well done brotha
-Webb
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