[Peace-discuss] [Peace] AWARE monthly demonstrations

[John W.]

On Sun, Oct 6, 2019 at 12:43 PM Ricky Baldwin via Peace <
peace at lists.chambana.net> wrote:

Actually it began in 2001, I believe, though I had not moved here yet. I
> can vouch for demonstrations on North Prospect in early 2002, only 2-4
> people at times but growing to well over 300 every Saturday just before the
> invasion of Iraq and continuing until the move to downtown Champaign.
>

I can't find my old issues of the public i any more, but I did find the MS
Word file for the article I wrote for the November 2011 issue, which see
attached if you're interested.  The precursor of AWARE was Ladies Against
War, started by Susan Parenti right after 9/11.  Here's a brief excerpt
from the article:

**********

Susan Parenti, an artist and teacher at the School for Designing a Society,
conceived the original idea for the Ladies Against War in the aftermath of
September 11. A longtime student of language and its relationship to
politics, Parenti observed with trepidation the media response to the
events of that day. She saw clearly that the US media’s extensive use of
emotion-laden language - what she calls the “pirating of grief” - in
framing the issue as an “Attack on America” would contribute to a rapid
militarization.

In those first days Parenti visualized “the slow movement of a bully who
has just been tapped on the shoulder”. When she and some of her friends
made small “No War” banners which they pinned to their clothing, Parenti’s
“inner American” was frightened as she observed the glares of her fellow
citizens in response.

Within a week, Parenti had organized a small group of women who resolved to
make themselves available publicly as a “Red Cross station for those who
were suffering from propaganda”. Initially the Ladies Against War stood
quietly outside the Urbana Post Office during the lunch hour each day,
dressed nicely and displaying anti-war signs and banners......

**********
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