[spectre] [professors_for_peace] re-posting of original email appeal

[Natalie Bookchin]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/professors_for_peace

>
>Reply-To: professors_for_peace@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [professors_for_peace] re-posting of original email appeal
>Status:
>
>Dear List members:   A couple people have asked that I
>post the original email that I sent out on Sunday that
>sparked what is now growing into an international
>network of people professing peace and justice.  So
>here it is.
>
>Jennifer Terry
>
>Dear Friends:
>
>I have been talking with some of you and with others
>informally around the US and overseas about the
>possibility of starting a group called something like
>Professors for Peace.  Perhaps there is such a group
>already but I am not aware of it.  If any of you knows
>of such a group, would you please let me know?  Some
>of us may consider joining it or, in its absence, we
>may consider forming one.  In any case, here is the
>impetus behind the idea I propose to you now.
>
>Basic rationale:  It seems obvious to many of us
>teaching college students right now that they have
>very little understanding of the history and
>possibilities of peace movements and that many of them
>are not so gung-ho about going to war yet they are
>nearly paralyzed and cannot think of alternatives
>right now.   Also many of them feel personally
>threatened by the unleashing of bigotry being done in
>the name of patriotism and national security.
>
>Basic strategy:  In addition to teach-ins and courses
>and public (on and off-line) demonstrations on waging
>peace in a post Cold War world, Professors for Peace
>could work in affinity with other anti-racist groups
>fighting against the rising tide of hate crimes
>against people of Islamic and/or Middle East and South
>Asian origins.  I understand that a course on
>tolerance and hatred is being put together to be
>collectively taught this Fall quarter at Ohio State
>University.  We could share syllabi and course
>materials about such courses and teach-ins.  And we
>could form ad hoc watch dog groups to monitor the role
>of the university in funding and supporting defense
>contracts and the current mobilization for war.  In
>other words, there is much to be done and we could
>decide how much we want to undertake and what our
>coordinated strategies might be.  Outreach to you is
>the first step.  We might find that we should organize
>in local contexts, college by college, university by
>university.  Or we might want to think of other
>strategies for organizing, such as around particular
>foci and tasks.  Or a combo of these and other kinds
>of strategies and subgroups. I'm thinking outloud here
>folks, so please bear with me.
>
>Beyond the Campuses and into the Public Sphere:  In
>addition to whatever we do on campuses, the group
>could show the larger society that the professoriate
>has a crucial (and neglected) role to play in shaping
>public dialogue and debate right now.  This could also
>be an avenue for the voices of profs of color, women,
>and queers to be heard -- we are almost no where to be
>found in all the pundit shows and "late breaking news"
>on TV right now.  Right now it's mostly the straight
>white men heroes' show.  We need to be more organized,
>involved, and visible as this country moves toward
>some racist war.
>
>Let me know your thoughts on this and please spread
>the word to others who you think might be interested.
>
>Jennifer Terry
>Visiting Associate Professor of Women's Studies
>UC Berkeley (2001-2002)
>Associate Professor of Comparative Studies
>Ohio State University
>
>
>
>
>__________________________________________________
>Terrorist Attacks on U.S. - How can you help?
>Donate cash, emergency relief information
>http://dailynews.yahoo.com/fc/US/Emergency_Information/
>
>To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>professors_for_peace_unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
>
>
>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/