Day of peace display requests social movement
By: Kelly Kendall
Issue date: 9/25/08 Section: Lifestyle
This led the sitters in a discussion about how the government twists information to provide a more cheerful outlook during hard times. This, in turn, focused the group's discussion on the 2008 presidential election and how most citizens are so wrapped up in the election that they are unaware of what is happening around the country and in other nations.
In addition to the students in the class, five or six others who were walking by the teach-in joined the group before and throughout the performances, including Mitchell, who was supposed to be in French class.
Suzanne Yatim, a senior international human rights major, first came to Miller suggesting the class do something for the International Day of Peace, something that would catch people's attention, and Miller decided on the teach-in with music.
"The goal was to grab people who wouldn't normally stop and think about human rights," Miller said. "People don't need to know any information to come and listen, and learn."
In between songs, the group discussed whether nonviolence was successful, citing Mahatma Gandhi's Salt March to Dandi, where he and a group of 78 men, women weren't allowed to participate, walked to the Arabian Sea to gather salt that they weren't allowed to have. The demonstrators in the Puny Muny also discussed the difference between nonviolent resistance and active resistance.
Yatim said she thinks Peace Day means whatever each person wants it to mean, whether it is between for people between nations or peace within or between each other at the teach-in.
"This should happen all the time," Yatim said. "Everyone should know there are things like this happening. Events like this shouldn't just happen once a year. This is Webster, and with all of the human rights majors, we still think we're too sophisticated to get out and get into people's faces. People need to be sick of hearing about this stuff."
In addition to the students in the class, five or six others who were walking by the teach-in joined the group before and throughout the performances, including Mitchell, who was supposed to be in French class.
Suzanne Yatim, a senior international human rights major, first came to Miller suggesting the class do something for the International Day of Peace, something that would catch people's attention, and Miller decided on the teach-in with music.
"The goal was to grab people who wouldn't normally stop and think about human rights," Miller said. "People don't need to know any information to come and listen, and learn."
In between songs, the group discussed whether nonviolence was successful, citing Mahatma Gandhi's Salt March to Dandi, where he and a group of 78 men, women weren't allowed to participate, walked to the Arabian Sea to gather salt that they weren't allowed to have. The demonstrators in the Puny Muny also discussed the difference between nonviolent resistance and active resistance.
Yatim said she thinks Peace Day means whatever each person wants it to mean, whether it is between for people between nations or peace within or between each other at the teach-in.
"This should happen all the time," Yatim said. "Everyone should know there are things like this happening. Events like this shouldn't just happen once a year. This is Webster, and with all of the human rights majors, we still think we're too sophisticated to get out and get into people's faces. People need to be sick of hearing about this stuff."
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