WEB PAGE TOOLS ~ Print this article ~ E-mail your opinion on this article OTHER OPINIONS STORIES ~ Draft for democracy ~ Make voting mandatory ~ Letters to the editor Birth of an activist; class inspires student to tackle leadership role Brian Kerin Ebbtide Reporter For me, winter quarter 2003 will signify the period of my life where I woke up. I have always been concerned with social, environmental, and political issues, yet until recently I have made the conscious decision not to get involved; actually I have only gone so far as to educate myself on what I felt were the more important sides of the issues. Nevertheless, I was violently shaken out of my complacency in a period of less than three months. It all started when I chose to take a freshman-level philosophy class, taught by Professor Linda Warren. Every day that I attended, I was bombarded with knowledge contrary to what the media and government had formerly led me to believe. I learned about different forms of government and that the system of government that America was founded on isn't really what it evolved into. I found out about neo-colonialism and how the "trade organizations" enslave other countries under the guise of "free trade." Almost every week a new guest speaker would inform us about such issues as police brutality, the benefits of adopting a communist government and reasons why we should oppose the soon-to-be CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement). Almost instantly an anger rose in me, one I couldn't just ignore. I had to start being active, not passive. I started to ask more and more questions about what I could do. Photo by Christopher Nelson Kerin's planning takes shape as "The Dobbs" rock on during the March 5th War Demonstration Events. And, almost like they were waiting for such a question, the "stokers of my fire" had endless answers and suggestions as to what I could do to appease my own restless anxieties to make the world a better place. Linda told the class about the newly formed club on campus, Shoreline Students Against War (SSAW). I remembered that during a recent Ebbtide meeting our editor had mentioned doing a piece on SSAW, so I took this as my opportunity to attend the meeting. What I didn't expect was that I would soon be an organizer of one of the biggest schoolwide, anti-war protests to date. During the meeting I found that the club was in the process of organizing a walkout to occur in two weeks. Never known as one to keep my mouth shut, I found myself suddenly giving out suggestions on how to make the event better for both organizers and participants. I suggested that the event could benefit from a drum circle and by having bands play in the PUB as alternatives to the teach-ins and lectures already scheduled. What I learned that day was that you shouldn't suggest ideas if you are not going to follow through with the planning of them. I soon found myself solely in charge of everything happening on the PUB stage and partly involved in planning the drum circle. I asked around if anybody knew any groups who could play on the day of the walkout. Like magic I started getting calls from members of several hip-hop groups and rock bands who wanted to play. (One mistake I did make was starting a rumor that a rather large Seattle band was going to play. It turned out that the band was scheduled to appear at one of Seattle's most influential radio stations that day.) TELL US YOUR WAR STORIES We want you... ...to tell us your war stories. Are you a member of the armed forces? Are you a former member? Do you have friends or loved ones serving locally or abroad? The personal stories are what we need. We're bombarded with news and events from far away, but we don't always get to hear your stories. In an upcoming issue of The Ebbtide we want to feature these stories. From the reservist who just joined to the veteran who experienced military life decades ago, we want it! Send your stories to webbtide@yahoo.com or drop them off in room 1502. Please include your name and a phone number where we can reach you with questions. Thanks! The initial planning left me anxious leading up to the actual event. I guess the idea that I was also to MC the show wasn't as innocent as it had sounded when I said yes to it. When I did get all the bands together, though, some of my anxieties subsided; that is, until I ran into a crowd of members of SSAW, Student Government and several teachers walking to the administration building. I guess SCC President Holly Moore had received a call from a Seattle news station asking about the walkout. The crowd I ran into told me that Moore, after being left out of the loop, was trying to shut down the event and the crowd was going to argue in favor of the walkout. After stating our intentions we were told by Moore's secretary that her only problem with the event was that since SSAW was such a new club and not yet officially sanctioned, it couldn't sponsor such an event. The drama turned out to be nothing to actually worry about. Moore's concern was really just regarding a technicality. Everyone expected the worst, but this little speed bump meant nothing. It was only two days until showtime. Another concern, and something that complicated my rally involvement, was my commitment to teaching a class with two other students on everyday activism for my philosophy class, scheduled at the same time as my PUB duties. Our whole class opted out of writing a term paper for our final by choosing to participate in the rally, giving teach-ins and leading discussions. I had a conflict of interests here; I had duties to my class, the other students who were depending on me for our discussion, and I had to head the events in the PUB. My grades and fellow classmates were to come first, and I decided to go ahead and teach my class before I made an appearance at the PUB. When the teaching portion was over, I turned the discussion over to the other group members. When I got to the PUB I found mild chaos. Since I hadn't been there, the bands weren't able to set up and the cafeteria was filled with students eager to hear some good music. I got everything set up and announced the first hip-hop group, and everything went smoothly after that. Eventually two hip-hop groups and three rock bands played, everything ending around 2:30 p.m. In retrospect, I found there were some things I could have done to make the experience better. Acting as an MC for a peace rally, with a giant anti-war banner over the stage, I felt I could have prepared some fitting quotes, anecdotes or other anti-war sentiments as segues between the bands. I also wish I could have made the bill for the show more eclectic, not just consisting of musical acts. Afterwards ideas came to mind: break-dancers, solo acoustic performers and ethnic-style dancers, all could have added some spice and color to the event. Overall, the March 5 events turned out pretty well. My only complaint is that I was so busy with all my duties that I didn't get to check out the other happenings that occurred. Considering that when I walked into that SSAW meeting, I didn't even know I was going to have anything to do with the event, I should be grateful I was even involved. For the first time in my life, I can call myself an activist, and that feels good. © 2003 Shoreline Community College™