Anti-war protest sees younger faces

January 25, 2007

By Gordon Dritschilo Herald Staff

Central Vermont Peace and Justice has some new faces traveling with it to Washington, D.C., on Friday.

The anti-war group has repeatedly joined other activist organizations in massive protests against U.S. involvement in Iraq. This time, however, more than half the group is under the age of 25.

"It's not all 50-somethings like me," organizer Carol Tashie said. "Young people are realizing this is an issue they need to pay attention to."

Tashie said seven buses from around the state — the largest number since the war began — will leave for Washington, driving through the night to join in a protest organized by United for Peace and Justice, an umbrella group of more than 1,400 anti-war organizations.

Once assembled on Saturday, the protesters will march on the Capitol, calling on Congress to end the war and bring the troops home. Featured speakers include Jesse Jackson, Jane Fonda and the father of an American soldier facing court-martial for refusing to deploy to Iraq.

Tashie said Central Vermont Peace and Justice has been making a concerted effort to reach out to younger people, hiring youth organizers with a grant from the Sisters of Mercy, a Catholic order involved in a variety of social issues.

"A lot of people are hearing that it's worse and worse," youth organizer Beth Donovan said of the war in Iraq. "They're frustrated. Their friends are over there and they want to help their friends out. People who weren't so much against it are starting to see that we're not accomplishing what we're needing to accomplish in the first place."

Donovan said she started working to bring in more area college students in November.

"The main challenge so far has been the holiday break," she said. "A lot of students were away a good part of December and January."

Donovan said she works to get students interested not just in the war, but a variety of issues like the situation in Darfur.

"We've found a few young people who are passionate about peace and justice issues," she said. "Others say they care, but aren't motivated to get involved. A lot are interested — it's a matter of finding out what will get them out of their dorms."

Sarah Leclaire, a 20-year-old sociology major at Castleton State College, said this would be her first protest.

"I'm really excited," she said. "A couple of my friends went to a couple different ones and they said it was great."

Leclaire said she believes every single person who gets involved makes a difference and that more people her age need to get involved.

"Right now, we're having a really hard time as a community and we need to come together," she said. "We're the next generation. We all really need to take a big interest because this is our future."

Beth Pantzer, a 21-year-old journalism major, said this would be her third trip with the group. On her previous outings, she said there were about a half-dozen people her own age. While many of the people she knows are against the war, Pantzer said they do not do much to show it.

"If we get into a discussion, they'll share their feelings," she said. "Publicly — not so much."

Pantzer said she wants to see a slow withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

Michael Weins, another CSC student making his second trip with the group, said he expects there will have to be a change in leadership in the White House before the war ends.

"I know impeaching Bush won't fix anything, but getting a new president, a new line of thinking, that'll end the war," he said

Weins said protests serve an important role in getting out the anti-war message, but he's found many other ways to engage with people his own age.

"Getting the word out can be a conversation over lunch," he said.

The group's bus boards at 9:45 p.m. at the Home Depot parking lot. For more information, go to www.unitedforpeace.org.

Contact Gordon Dritschilo at gordon.dritschilo@rutlandherald.com.