UUs across the US say NO to War with Iraq

(Boston - November 6, 2002) Unitarian Universalists from around the US rallied for peace during the weekend of October 26th, with activity centering in Washington, DC and other major cities. Oct. 26th marked the first anniversary of the USA Patriot Act. The demonstrations were timed to coincide with this date and included a focus on current threats to civil liberties. Other activities and witnesses were held earlier in October, leading up to the congressional vote which authorized military activity in Iraq.

On October 10, the Morristown, NJ Unitarian Fellowship held a rally with activity covered in the local press. "The idea is to get people to realize the enemy isn't Afghanistan or Iraq or the United States but rather, it is weapons of mass destruction," said Madelyn Hoffman, a veteran peace activist who organized one rally. On October 19 in Burlington, Vermont, the Rev. Gary Kowalski, Minister of the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington, spoke to a rally, saying, "I am not opposed to all war. In self-defense, military action is sometimes necessary. But attacking another country pre-emptively is another matter entirely. I'm opposed to this war because 'regime change' in Iraq won't begin to solve the problem posed by weapons of mass destruction. What's needed is a long term, coordinated international effort to rid the world of these weapons forever. And that cannot happen through unilateral action. It can only happen through the United Nations, with US leadership. Such an effort will not be easy. But it represents the only road to sanity and survival. "

Senator Paul Wellstone died October 25 in a small plane crash

Most activities coincided, however, with the October 26 demonstration in Washington, DC, which took place near the Vietnam Memorial and was attended by nearly 200,000. Marchers, in what is thought to be the largest demonstration held since the Vietnam War, were seen carrying signs saying, "I'm marching for Paul," a tribute to Sen. Paul Wellstone of Minnesota, who had stood in opposition of war with Iraq even in the face of his own re-election bid. Wellstone had died the previous day in a plane crash.

The Rev. Lisa Presley, Interim Minister of the Paint Creek Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Rochester Hills, Michigan, attended activities in Washington and offered a report on the worship service held at All Souls Unitarian Church in Washington which preceded the rally.Over 175 UUs from around the country attended the service, including people from congregations in Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, and California. They united in song, prayer, and information-sharing as they prepared to speak out against war.

Following the event, worshippers joined in the Rally Against War in Iraq, sponsored by the ANSWER coalition, where they met up with other UUs and marched together to the White House. Presley found herself caught in the midst of her own complicated feelings about the war, and documented her thoughts in the midst of the anti-war activity: "I came to the Prayer Vigil and Rally at All Souls Church, Unitarian, on Saturday, uncertain and ambivalent, a strange place for me to be. Throughout my teenage years, I mourned the death of John and Bobby Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr. I was an ardent opponent to the war in Vietnam, and came to the big march in Washington in the early 1970s. All those other times I'd marched in Washington, I knew why I was there, and I had no hesitation at all. Yet this time, I am not certain. I do not know where it is I am. I do not know where it is I need to stand." (read Presley's personal reflections.)

Around the country, demonstrations were also held with Unitarian Universalists of all ages taking part. In San Antonio, TX, UU youth from Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana, gathered for a district YRUU meeting and were part of the demonstration. "The war will kill innocent people, and that's why I'm here," said Meara Sullivan, 16, of Houston, a member of the Unitarian Universalist group of demonstrators. In Denver, UUs were much in evidence in the anti-war rally at Civic Center Park, sponsored by the Colorado Campaign for Middle East Peace, with lay and ministerial representatives of six congregations including the First Unitarian Society of Denver, Jefferson Unitarian of Golden, Independent Covenant UUs, the UU Church of Boulder and the UU Fellowship of Boulder taking part.

An anti-war rally in Minneapolis, Minnesota

In Minneapolis, another anti-war rally was held with over 5,000 in attendance and a strong UU presence felt in the crowd with representatives from at least eight congregations noted.

The Unitarian Universalist Northeast District and the Maine Council of Churches organized an interfaith presence at the Oct. 26th National Day of Action Against War with Iraq in Augusta, Maine. Roger Comstock, Acting Northeast District Executive reports, "The District board agreed to go en masse, and several churches organized for the rally. There were about 2500 folks there in rain, wind and cold."

Members of the All Souls UU Church in New York City attend an anti-war rally

In New York City, where a "Not in Our Name" rally was held in Central Park and attended by members of UU congregations, the Rev. Forrest Church, Senior Minister of All Souls Unitarian Church observed, "It may cut against the grain of American nationalism, but the patriotism of those who urge respectful international collaboration in the campaign to disarm Saddam should be unquestioned. The battle against terror-not a clash of civilizations but a clash between civilization and anarchy-demands an international front, not a self-appointed savior. American arrogance can only fan the flames American policy is designed to extinguish."

In his own pastoral letter on the impending conflict with Iraq, UUA President William Sinkford reflected on the differing points of view which swirl around this complicated issue, saying, "I hope you will pray and reflect on what we all can do in the face of this conflict. Our role is not merely to advocate for a position - although many of us might wish to do so - but rather, to ask the difficult questions around the proposed conflict with Iraq and try, as I said in my April pastoral letter on the Middle East conflict, to "contribute to a richer imagination that can lead to peace." The question in this difficult discussion must be more than simply, "Do we go to war?" Raw power cannot heal those wounds hidden in the human heart that lead us to conflict."

Reported for the web by Deborah Weiner with information from Susan Leslie and reports from congregational social action representatives.

Order of Service from NY Rally

Win Without War campaign

UUA Iraq Resources

(04/203) War and Peace: Where We Go From Here from the UUA Advocacy and Witness Offices

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