[Peace-discuss] Race and counter-recruitment

[C. G. Estabrook]

[This is an important comment from an acquaintance, with
implications for our counter-recruitment activities. --CGE]


Here is a racial breakdown of US fatalities in Iraq, tabulated
by the good people of Iraq Coalition Casualty Count:

IRAQ: U.S. DEATHS BY ETHNICITY
RACE/           Army  Air      Marine  Navy  Total  Percentage
ETHNICITY             Force
*American
Indian or       12    0        7       0      19    0.92%
Alaska
*Native
Asian           17    0        0       2      19    0.92%
*Black
or African      181   3        30      4      218   10.54%
American
*Hispanic       133   3        85      4      225   10.87%
or Latino
*Multiple
races,
pending,        21    1        15      1      38    1.84%
or unknown
*Native
Hawaiian        20    0        2       0      22    1.06%
or Pacific
Islander
*White          1027  13       457     31     1528  73.85%

Total           1411  20       596     42     2069

<http://icasualties.org/oif/ETHNICITY.aspx>

Combine that with other available data (e.g., Dave Moniz and
Tom  Squitieri, "Front-line Troops Disproportionately White,
Not Black,"  1/21/2003,
<www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-01-20-army-usat_x.htm>),
and don't you think that primary targets of counter-
recruitment efforts -- especially ones undertaken by often
mostly white peace organizations -- ought to be the white
working-poor communities (with the household income of
$20,000-$50,000) in rural/suburban areas, especially in the
South (as opposed to those like Rangel's constituency, who are
more politically conscious, who have already begun to say no
to the military very clearly, whose children, when they do
sign up for the military, try to consciously avoid combat
positions, and for whom keeping youth out of the clutches of  
the criminal justice system is a more pressing matter than
counter-recruitment)?  These stats do tell us something about
how activists can work better.

Yoshie Furuhashi
<http://montages.blogspot.com>
<http://monthlyreview.org>
<http://mrzine.org>