The Chicago Committee Against War and Racism held a rally and march, Saturday, August 25th, under the theme: â1968 & 2018: Unite Against War and Police Violence!â The rally was intended to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the watershed anti-war protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, while not being an exercise in nostalgia but the building of a new independent peopleâs movement against the U.S. governmentâs constant war-making and the related struggles against racism, poverty and police repression.
The march from Daley Plaza to the General Logan Statue, site of iconic confrontations during the police riots and across from the Hilton Hotel were the delegates and press were staying, was addressed by Rich Whitney. That portion has no audio recording.
Ahead of the event several people who experienced the "68 DNC" gave short remembrances.
ccawr.org
Speaker Bios: Frank Chapman, field organizer and educational director of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression. (CAARPR) has been a leading organization in the for the campaign for the Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC), an all elected, civilian police accountability council. In 1961 at the age of 19, Frank Chapman was wrongfully convicted of first-degree murder and armed robbery and confined to a Missouri prison. Fourteen years later, he was freed with support from some of the same people who helped free Angela Davis. The campaign to free Davis resulted in the formation of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (NAARPR).
Natasha Erskine, Chicago Public Schools mom, community organizer, and US Air Force Veteran. Sheâs on several coalition boards across the city and acts as Deputy Coordinator, Chicago Veterans for Peace.
Vincent Emanuele, anti-war veteran and community organizer. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 2002-2006, deploying twice to Iraq as a combat infantryman and squad automatic machine gunner. In 2008, Vincent testified to U.S. Congress about war crimes and atrocities that were being committed in Iraq. Since then, Vincent has worked with antiwar and anti-militarist movements around the world. Currently, Vincent helps run a progressive community/cultural center in Michigan City, Indiana.
Kathy Kelly. During the â68 Democratic convention, Kathy Kelly lived on the southwest side of Chicago. Even in her working-class neighborhood, some families were objecting to the war in Viet Nam. Impressions gained during that time eventually helped shape her determination to help abolish all wars. Kathy has lived alongside people trapped in war zones, â in Iraq, Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Afghanistan. She and her companions in Voices for Creative Nonviolence believe that where you stand determines what you see. For their nonviolent civil resistance opposing wars and weapons they have spent time in federal prisons and county jails. One of their finest mentors was David Dellinger who entitled his memoir âFrom Yale to Jail.â
Samer Owaida, a sociologist, anthropologist and Palestinian rights activist. He recently returned from a visit to the West Bank.
Barbara Ransby, an historian, writer and longtime activist. She currently works with the R3 Coalition (Resist Reimagine. Rebuild.) locally as well as The Majority, Scholars for Social Justice and the Movement for Black Lives nationally.
Rich Whitney, co-chair of the Illinois Green Party and its nominee for Illinois governor in 2006 and 2010. He is also active with the Green Party Peace Action Committee, the United National Antiwar Coalition, and other peace and environmental organizations. He is a co-founder of the Chicago Committee Against War & Racism (CCAWR).
Andy Thayer is a co-founder of CCAWR and the multi-issue, LGBTQ Gay Liberation Network, which has worked to provide an anti-war voice within the LGBTQ community. He has helped organize many large anti-war protests in Chicago, including the largest march on the NATO summit and a march of 15,000 on Lake Shore Drive when the U.S. invaded Iraq. He writes frequently on various political issues, including his latest, âWhy the Chicago â68 Convention Matters Today.â
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