NYC antiwar protest photo threadNYC immigration rally photo threadYoung people. Thousands of young people. Most of them Latino. Most of them speaking perfect English. Most of them of voting age or very close to it.
And music. Continuous music, rhythmic chants and a steady beat that kept your hips moving.
And the flags. Yes, the foreign flags. And the American flags. The colors of all those flags waving in the air and filling the Manhattan sky.
The pride. The passion. The power of the people.
The immigration rally had soul while the antiwar protest, for the most part, seemed to only go through the motions. The immigration rally had youth and vigor while the antiwar protest had age and wisdom.
God bless the Raging Grannies, the Granny Jailbirds and the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, but where the hell were the teens and twentysomethings whose peers are dying in an unjust war? The NYC antiwar protest lacked the energy and intensity of the antiwar protest in DC last year.
Perhaps the antiwar movement is growing weary. Perhaps it is taking comfort in the fact that Bush and his entourage are self-destructing on their own. Perhaps it has not felt the desperation of the immigrants and their family members.
If it weren’t for the women groups at the antiwar protest, it would almost look as if it were a funeral procession. A very long, but scattered funeral procession.
I know many of you who attended the antiwar protest would disagree with me, but keep in mind that I am comparing it to the immigration rally two days later and the antiwar protest in DC last September.
There were moments of pure brilliance at the antiwar protest: The National Organization for Women; Code Pink; and the two guys playing "When the Saints Come Marching In" were amazing. I could watch them all day and not get bored.
After photographing the two rallies in NYC last weekend, I’ve come to the conclusion that the simmering revolution in this country will come from the minorities, including women, homosexuals, Blacks, Latinos and other ethnic groups. These are groups who are finding unity in their causes despite the continuing divisive tactics used by the republicans.
In the antiwar protest photo thread, you will see a scattering of young, white men, including two lone men walking with very blunt signs; "Fuck your war" and "Fuck you Bush". As if they had left their friends at the sports bar to vent their rage on the streets.
Meanwhile, their wives, girlfriends, sisters, mothers and grandmothers have become a well-oiled machine that is inspiring and beautiful to watch. They've perfected the art of call and response.
"Tell me what democracy looks like! This is what democracy looks like!"And if you look at the photos from the immigration rally, you will see hundreds of young men and women marching, singing, dancing and chanting for democracy.
"Si se puede." (Yes, we can)
And trust me, most of them, like me, are American citizens who just happen to have immigrant parents. They might not have been so politically involved in previous years, but they have become extremely political because of this immigration issue.
And they will be lining up to vote soon. And that, my friends, is what democracy looks like.
NYC antiwar protest photo threadNYC immigration rally photo thread
