With World Can’t Wait posters and banners decorating the UHM Campus Center we began a rally with faculty members who spoke out in support of World Can’t Wait including Michael D’ Andrea, La Rene Despain, Ruth Hsu, Laura Lyons, Nanita Sharma, and Mimi Sharma, who spoke a broad range from immigration, fascism, to education. Speakers also included organizations tabling, and youth and students, a guy who just got out of the military who has been outraged at what Bush has been doing.
The open mic after the speak-out involved more of the community and even some musicians who cut class, or passed by and felt in their hearts they needed to give voice through song.
We had a large number of student and community groups distributing literature from organizations such as Amnesty International, Not In Our Name, Code Pink women for Peace, Progressive Democrats, Japanese American Cultural Association, American Friends Service Committee, Rainbow Revolutionaries, and Kahea The Hawaii Environmental Alliance.
A wonderful and informative art exhibit by Matt Kubo who was responsible for the miniature Stryker brigade appearing around Oahu. Five showings of the film Sir, No Sir in Hemmingway Theater, a documentary about GI resistance during the Vietnam War. Bands that played that evening to an enthusiastic crowd were Golfcart Rebellion, Manhattan Project, Black Square and slam poets who performed their political poetry. The September 13th Festival of Resistance and the September 7th meeting were significant advances in efforts to really make October 5th a day where the people bring Bush’s course to a halt.