Modern Mothers for Peace

Immediately following September 11, 2001, the majority of Americans supported the Iraq War. However, as time went on and it appeared as though nothing was being accomplished people began to be more active in their anti-war sentiments. One woman, Cindy Sheehan, was extremely vocal about her anti-war feelings after her son died during battle in Iraq in 2004. She joined other parents of deceased soldiers to speak with President Bush and bring an end to the war in 2004. However, she is most widely known for her protest outside of President Bush’s private Prairie Chapel Ranch in Texas. Her purpose for being at the ranch was to get answers from president regarding the war and why her son lost his life. She has been quoted saying:

I'm gonna say, 'And you tell me, what the noble cause is that my son died for.' And if he even starts to say freedom and democracy, I'm gonna say, 'Bullshit. You tell me the truth. You tell me that my son died for oil. You tell me that my son died to make your friends rich.... You tell me that, you don't tell me my son died for freedom and democracy.'

Although she was not granted her meeting with President Bush Sheehan went on to join movements such as the Bring Them Home Tour – a traveling antiwar protest that traveled the country in groups and met in Washington DC to end in protest. Sheehan was also named the “Peace Mom” by media, and enjoyed popularity in European countries. A play entitled Peace Mom was written about Cindy Sheehan and she attended its London premiere. Cindy was also named as Roseanne Barr’s running mate for the Peace and Freedom Party in the 2012 presidential election. Additionally, she has written two books: Dear President Bush and Peace Mom and maintains her own website. 

I chose to talk about Cindy because she both reminded me of the women in Women Strike for Peace (by Amy Swerdlow), and highlighted major differences. The first difference is the fact that she had very little problem with the war before her son’s death while the women of the 1960s main concern was to protect their children. Not only was the WSP trying to keep their sons out of war by ending the draft, but they were also trying to protect their children from items contaminated by radiation, such as milk. Although Cindy says that she thought there was little reason to go to war in Iraq, she did not speak out against the war until after her son died in battle.

However, like her peace seeking counterparts of the 1960s she garnered mass amounts of media attention and assured that her thoughts were being heard. For example, when numerous women were called into a hearing in front of the Committee for Un-American Activities, the WSP rallied themselves into a media seeking frenzy and attracted enough media attention that many news outlets were covering the story before the committee could even publicly announce the hearings. This worked in the women’s favor because they then had public support because it was their story being told rather than that of the Committees. Cindy Sheehan was also able to gather support from members of congress, celebrities, and civil rights activists to publicize her antiwar movement in the early 2000s.  

This comparison between the WSPers and Cindy Sheehan made me really think about the reactionary world we live in. Of course there were people who were against the war from its very beginning in 2001, however, many people were happy that we were fighting back against the terrorists who threatened our country. However, once people began to realize what we were sacrificing in terms of money, time, and human lives the attitude began to change. When people were personally affected by the war they wanted change to be made. And now, when things in our world are (for the most part) calm, most people would claim to be antiwar and pro-peace. Obviously there are always going to be moments in time that spark huge changes, but I think the proactive nature of the women in the 1960’s is something to be looked at again and considered in the future, rather than the more reactionary mentality we have today.