[Peace-discuss] Marti's criticism of AWARE

[Stuart Levy]

On Thu, May 01, 2008 at 05:01:25PM -0500, Marti Wilkinson wrote:
> I just responded to a post of Karen's and I did note that there are members
> of AWARE that attend CUCPJ.
> 
> Actually it's important to be critical of groups - that is how groups learn
> and grow. Being critical takes courage - being able to accept criticism
> takes maturity. Being able to agree to disagree takes being able to work
> with other individuals.
> 
> I am aware that my observation is one that may upset a few of my friends in
> the peace movement. My intent is not to upset, but to point out what is a
> weakness in the local peace movement. That is how movements grow and learn.
> 
> *we should be asking why African-Americans don't want peace.*
> 
> Actually we should be asking what are we doing to include African Americans
> in the peace movement?  When recruiters go to high school campuses to
> persuade kids to sign up for the National Guard who do YOU think is most
> vulnerable to recruitment tactics.

[...]

Yes, I think this is right.  I'm really surprised, and even disturbed,
to see how little agreement and how much defensiveness there's been from
us AWARE people with your points.   We've been stuck in ruts of doing
many of the same things over again, and even though I think they are
good things, we need periodic kicks like yours to re-examine whether
our efforts are well spent.


It *might* be true that very very few people of color in C-U would be
interested enough in doing peace work to hang out with AWARE on
Sundays, or come to protests, or whatever.  BUT WE REALLY HAVEN'T TRIED.
We haven't reached out.


When was the last time we did a counter-recruitment event?
Why didn't we end up having a table at the Peer Ambassador Youth Summit
a couple of weekends ago, and talking to young people, probably many of them
minorities, about alternatives to being recruited by the military?
If we get another chance to do something like that, we need to take it!


I think it'd be great to do one of our monthly protests -- or an
additional one -- in Douglass Park.  Or at Garden Hills, as you suggest,
if there's a good place there that many people pass by.  Or even in
southwest Champaign at one of the new malls in what I suspect are
rather conservative parts of town, if we can find a decent sized
public sidewalk.  We need to get out more.  

   Stuart