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A Call for Peace

Rhonda Ramiro from the organization BAYAN-Philippines speaks to the crowd at Civic Center Plaza. Photo By Cindy Chew.

Jan. 18 anti-war rally draws hundreds of thousands

By Jennifer May Yuen | Special to AsianWeek

On the eve of last Saturday’s anti-war protest in San Francisco, Gopal Dayaneni, 34, expressed hopes that the protest would “model for others that voting and shopping isn’t the only form of public participation … direct democracy is the only way to get things we want and need.”

His feelings were in sync with those of others at the march. On Saturday, thousands of people shared the same pro-active stance, expressed their anger at President Bush’s intentions of invading Iraq and created widespread awareness. While police estimate that the crowds were 50,000 to 60,000, event organizers put the number at 200,000.

Dayaneni, Racial Justice 911 activist and oil campaign coordinator for Project Underground, was among other activists who met at the Oakland Ruckus Society for a banner-making party before the protest.

Also present was anti-war supporter Terry Bautista, Highland Hospital employee and member of Filipinos for Peace and Filipinos for Global Justice.

Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, rallies the crowd of anti-war protesters as she speaks up against President Bush's plan for war. Photo By Cindy Chew.

“There’s been so much in the news to make this a bigger protest [than others] … it’s been building. There’s been a lot of tension, so people are starting to line up.”

Bautista’s activist character influenced her two hapa daughters. Bautista claims that they have the same proactive attitude and are “in tune with history.”

Just before the march began Saturday morning, Filipinos for Global Justice and other supporting people of color organizations assembled at the corner of Market and Powell Streets for a pre-march rally. Several groups from Southern California had boarded buses at midnight to arrive that morning for the protest.

Art Concordia, a speaker from Filipinos for Global Justice, passionately confirmed that his group was there “to highlight opposition against U.S. troops in the Philippines and defend immigrants against U.S. fascist actions … be against war.”

“We want to make people aware,” Emerson Lego, UCLA student and member of Students for Global Peace and Justice, remarked. “With this specific group from UCLA we make sure students are represented and are at the forefront of advocating peace and justice internationally. With the Filipino contingent, we focus on telling people what’s going on with militarization in the Philippines.”

A fellow supporter visiting from Southern California concurred.

Top to bottom:Yumi Kikuchi (with 18-month-old Mana), founder of the Global Peace Campaign, came from Japan to participate in San Francisco's anti-war rally, photo by Cindy Chew.Young Sri Lankan protestor Rashmi Beysekera, photo by Kieran Ridge and Hiromi Oda.

“I think participation among Asian American communities is growing rapidly,” said Daniel Salera, 23, of Long Beach, member of KmB, a community activist group. “People are getting more involved like the youth, and so the API community is increasing. Like the Muslim and Chicano movement, API organization is expanding.”

Around 11, the clear skies and crisp winter air welcomed these groups and many others to join the sea of supporters along Market Street, offering their resistance to war.

Banners, balloons and signs proclaiming everything from “no blood for oil” to “Bush: check yourself before you wreck the world” appeared to float down Market, followed by chants and cheers urging the masses from the Embarcadero to City Hall.

“People finally are able to express anti-war sentiment without being afraid,” commented Kathy Masaoka, a member of the Los Angeles Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress. “They understand the concerns about the war and its effects on our civil liberties. That’s very clear in Asian American communities — how people are being treated because of war, like Arabs and Muslims.”

Masaoka speculated that while people might agree that injustices exist, they would not necessarily speak out, as the older generation had. This, she conjectured, led them to be very cautious of some governmental actions.

Meanwhile, marchers continuously packed onto City Hall’s lawns and pathways, and even perched on trees lining the walkway to participate in the rally. Speakers, from Oakland Congresswoman Barbara Lee to labor union leaders, kept the crowd alive. Actor Martin Sheen and folk singer Joan Baez also offered their support.