Finding My Way - and My Voice

"Bush Is Not The Answer." "Pro-Love." "War Is Dead Wrong." "Impeach Bush For War Crimes." "Support Our Troops--Bring Them Home." These are just a few signs that I saw this past Saturday, when several of us from the WCSC house went to the anti-Iraq war march on the mall.

And those were some of the more tame signs there. I'd never been to a protest before (let alone one attended by so many thousands), so this was a completely new experience for me. There were so many people there, and all with one common conviction—that the war in Iraq needs to end, and the troops need to come home.

Reports after the event estimated that there were 500,000 people in attendance. The entire mall was filled with protesters, and it seemed like every third person had a sign of some sort. There was an incredible energy present, an energy that I've only ever felt at the biannual Mennonite Youth Conventions, which draw about 6,000 youth each time. To experience that energy in our nation's capital for a cause that goes directly against the Bush administration was pretty surreal. Looking back on it, I almost get shivers. So many Americans have lost faith in the government, and it was an incredible feeling to take action instead of just complaining about the problems for once. It all felt so defiant to me--laughing openly, whether through words spoken or printed on signs, at the president and his pointless attempt to salvage a war he can't win. Standing proudly right in front of the Capitol building for what we believe in. Marching right through the headquarters of the government of the most powerful country in the world.

I think what sticks out to me most is the feeling of depth that a protest carries, especially one happening here in the nation's capital. Just the simple fact that it took place shows how much has changed in recent years. Our nations's conscience is finally being pricked; people are finally standing up and saying that they refuse to blindly follow the government any longer. The idea of true democracy as a functioning form of government seems very idealistic sometimes, but a protest of the magnitude of Saturday's puts a little bit of my faith back in the power of the people. I am interning with an organization that really stresses the idea of change beginning with the individual. Saturday's protest reinforced that concept for me in the sense that each person present was there because they know things need to change, and they realize that their voice helps.

What does all this mean to me as a student here in Washington? That I have an incredible, unique opportunity this semester to be a part of events that can and will change things, and that learning is a never-ending process. Protests right in my backyard, conversations with people I encounter on the Metro, even the now-familiar walk home from my internship-every day in D.C. is an education. Four weeks in, I think that I'm finally getting the hang of living here, and I'm finding out what it means to fully engage in learning.