BY MARY PRAGER

In print | October 11, 2007

On Wednesday, Oct. 10, Swarthmore students had the opportunity to attend the People Power and Strategic Organizing workshop run by Aimee Allison and David Solnit, co-authors of the book Army of None: Strategies to Counter Military Recruitment, End War, and Build a Better World. The workshop comes as part of the Army of None Project, which discusses the pervasiveness of the military recruitment system in our society and among the youth. Rather than just raise awareness, however, the workshop also aimed to show students how they can use a variety of resources and strategies to amplify their voices.

As soon as this year’s Lang Visiting Professor, George Lakey, found out that his old friend Solnit and co-author Allison were to embark on a tour with their book, he immediately invited them to come to Swarthmore. I really want Swat students to get the best thinking that’s available, he said. [Solnit and Allison] have a perspective that would be really helpful, to both people who want to reduce the power of the military, and people who are working on projects that concern social justice. Through the Lang Center for Civil and Social Responsibility, various campus organizations concerned with social justice, including Amnesty International, Class Awareness Month, Darfur Radio Project, and Swat Sudan, received e-mails detailing the content of the workshop. I hadn’t realized it had been long that since we had a direct action initiative, Associate Director for Student Programs and Training Pat James said.

The purpose of the workshop is to show students how to focus their power, Lakey said. It’s mainly about tools for thinking about change. According to Lakey, who’s attended one of Solnit’s workshops in California, Solnit particularly demonstrates how creativity can go a long way in gaining attention and stimulating action. Another key idea is how to organize effectively, or as Lakey said: How do you conceptualize a series of steps so they’ll lead you wherever you want to go? The authors of the book have both had extensive experience organizing and campaigning for causes and promoting social justice. Allison, an army veteran, is a leader in anti-recruitment movements and is a conscientious objector to the Gulf War. Solnit is a social justice activist and an artist who helped found Courage to Resist, an organization Supporting the troops that refuse to fight, as displayed on the logo.

Not surprisingly, many Swarthmore students support counter-recruitment movements and the idea of questioning war. I think that’s the number one thing that’s important ¦ I guess it really falls to us, doesn’t it? Rachael Mansbach ’11 said.

Gabriel Zacarias ‘09 who attended the workshop said that he encountered a military recruiter on his high school campus when he visited a former teacher last year. I asked [the recruiter] questions, but he didn’t answer any of my questions satisfactorily, Zacarias said. They don’t tell you about how you will kill another human being. It’s very frightening. Zacarias also spoke of how recruiters entice immigrants to enlist with promises of speeding along their naturalization process. The problem is very real, Zacarias said. Those wishing to gain insights into counter-recruitment or the process of initiating social change but weren’t able to attend the workshop can find the book Army of None either at the Lang Center or at McCabe.

Additional reporting by Elena Chopyak

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