There is No Way to Peace, Peace is the Way

I volunteered to be a crowd monitor in Saturday’s September 15th End the War Now! march of thousands in Washington, D.C.

My main job was to be a buffer between the marchers who support an end to the war and the counter demonstrators who had gathered at several spots along the route.

I have been to several marches in Washington, but this was the first time I participated as a volunteer. I signed up on-line at A.N.S.W.E.R.'s website. A.N.S.W.E.R. stands for Act Now to Stop War And End Racism.

Before the march started, I worked for a few hours at the top of an escalator at the exit to one of the Metro stops near the White House. As people rose from the escalator to street level, they could see the yellow and black “End the War Now!” signs stapled to sticks propped against the wall behind me. Wearing my red “End Occupation” t-shirt, I greeted them and offered signs to those who said they were marching.

I felt like an ambassador for the march and for A.N.S.W.E.R. I was their personal connection between their arrival and the march location. It felt great to serve like this.

Before taking my Metro post, I had asked Roger, an A.N.S.W.E.R. staff member, for directions to Lafayette Park across from the White House. I am geographically challenged and asking was my way of compensating. I was thrilled when I was able to correctly direct my first march participant to the park!

Two women, friends from the same high school in Maryland, worked the Metro stop with me. They asked for donations for the signs and for people to sign up for the national email list. This was their first national march. We talked throughout our shift and we learned as much as we could about each other.

When it was time to march, I took my crowd monitor position along the edge of the march just inside the metal barricades police had erected along the route.

As we approached counter demonstrators, the crowd monitors were given a yellow rope. We each held a section as we marched along the march side of the barricade.

To my left were marchers like me.

To my right were people with a different point of view. Many waved American flags and held signs that argued for staying the course to keep America safe from terrorists.

Police were there, too, forming their own buffer between the two groups.

Shouting began as the two groups met. It came from both sides of the barricades. The noise was deafening. I turned my head to the left and observed and turned my head to the right and observed as I silently kept my position at the end of the buffer line.

The contortion of the faces that were yelling combined with the deafening noise made the situation seem surreal at certain points. And the fear and mutual hatred were palpable.

I remained calm as I marched. In those minutes, I realized that that was all I could do. Being one member of a peaceful line in between two other lines of angry shouting and name calling is all that was required of me. Better to be there than not. My job wasn't to control the crowd but to merely be there as an alternative model of responding to verbal violence and the fear and anger within.

I was not afraid.

I was given this opportunity to be the peace that I sought in the world despite the anger around me.

If I am for peace, I must be peaceful in my actions.

I understand why there is war.

Peace is much more difficult.

Marching in peace and for peace is necessary and worth it.

Let it begin with me.