[Peace] AWARE Minutes, 3-20-2005

[David Green]

Corrections, clarifications, additions,
contradictions, and further discussion is encouraged:

AWARE Minutes, 3/21/05

Facilitator: Bob Illyes
Notes: 	   David Green

1. News Notes: Carl Estabrook (see separate post)

2. Introductions

3. New Ideas:

A.  David Green and Carol Inskeep have worked with the
leaders of the Muslim Students Association to plan for
2 events on the week of April 25-29th. On Tuesday the
26th, the DVD Peace, Propaganda, and the Promised Land
(90 minutes) will be shown, with Professor Robert
McChesney leading a discussion afterwards. (Randall is
also trying to get this shown on UPTV, with extras
including interviews with Chomsky, Fisk, Ashrawi,
etc.) 

On Thursday April 28th, there will be a talk by Mazin
Qumsiyeh, a Palestinian-American who is a Professor of
Genetics at Yale and the author of a website called
Sharing the Land of Canaan (www.qumsiyeh.org). This
will largely be coordinated by the Muslim Students,
but we will check into having him do an afternoon talk
at the Center for Democracy in a Multiracial Society,
as well as an informative talk in the evening. David
Green suggested that AWARE might fund $250 for this
event, if necessary, depending on how much the
students can appropriate.

B.  There was a discussion of this past Saturday’s
rally that led to a larger discussion about our goals
in the near future. These remarks are recorded neither
in their order of importance nor in the order in which
they were stated at the meeting:

While there was a great turnout on Saturday, it was
suggested that there were not enough new faces. How
can get our message out to new people? We should be
writing letters to the editor, and doing more
leafleting at events (especially with Matt and Carol’s
leaflet that was distributed on Saturday), perhaps
even stores and malls (until we’re asked to leave), or
like Ebertfest coming up in April (we might look into
getting Roger Ebert to say a word on our behalf).
Downtown Champaign can be exploited more, especially
during the spring and summer, not just during the
Taste of Champaign, and Michael Moore probably doesn’t
have another movie coming out.

Some people who are not comfortable coming out to
Prospect were much more comfortable at Main and
Neil—perhaps a protest there on the third Saturday of
every month. It doesn’t have to be an either/or
situation. The publicity for Saturday’s rally was sent
to the News-Gazette, and an article was published
before the event, but it was not listed as an event
and not covered by the paper. The DI did not list it
either. Television coverage was on WAND and WCIA local
news.

We are struggling with an effective and insidious
propaganda campaign that claims that the majority
supports the war and that the peace movement is
moribund. This perception is not the reality. We have
to fight those perceptions, the first of which is
contradicted by polling numbers, and the second of
which is contradicted by our own persistence. Still,
many of those who oppose the war think that they are
one of a minority, not a majority. We need new venues
for public debate and communication. Eyes Wide Open
will be a great opportunity for this. We must also
reach out to religious groups. There were eight
churches that participated in the interfaith service
this past Thursday. Also, we can hand out leaflets on
tax day (April 15th) like we did last year.

It is encouraging that more high school kids were at
the rally. There were also folks from Springfield and
Bloomington.  The fact that the numbers at our monthly
protests and weekly meetings has not changed in two
years belies the notion that the antiwar movement is
fizzling out, but new ideas are needed, especially in
relation to challenging recruitment at high schools,
recruitment centers, on campus, etc.

Durl Kruse will check into the permission needed to
use again the space at 1 E. Main. Photos of soldiers
killed in Iraq may be less controversial and more
effective now than they were during the first weeks of
the war for future protests. We can also look into
using the Urbana Free Library Auditorium on a regular,
monthly basis for speakers, panels, etc. Carol will
look to see what is available.


4. Upcoming events:

This Saturday, March 26th, Permaculture in Palestine
at 4:00, 122 Franklin St. Urbana.

Tuesday, March 29th, 7:30, IDF, Citizens Police Review
Board; this is probably in the future of Urbana,
according to Ricky Baldwin, but the form has not yet
been decided.

Melissa will look into leafleting the High Dive during
an upcoming concert by a group called the Drive-by
Truckers.

5. Funds: $3,129: let’s think of more ways to spend
it.