Anti-war activists meet in Cleveland

Larry Holmes, national coordinator of the Troops Out Now Coalition, was among the speakers at a plenary session June 28 at the National Assembly to End the Iraq War and Occupation. The conference in Cleveland drew approximately 400 anti-war activists and major leaders of the anti-war movement. Holmes’ talk focused on linking the anti-war movement to the growing economic crisis.

Left to right: Panelists Donna DeWitt, Larry Holmes, Fred Mason, June 28. WW photo: Susan Schnur

Other speakers included Clarence Thomas of the ILWU Local 10 Executive Board and a leader of the Port Workers May Day Organizing Committee; Jonathan Hutto, an anti-war GI and co-founder of the Appeal for Redress; Leslie Cagan, United for Peace and Justice; Brian Becker, ANSWER Coalition; Donna DeWitt, president of the South Carolina AFL-CIO; Fred Mason, president of Maryland and DC AFL-CIO; Colia Clark, NY Power to the People Committee; and Lynne Stewart and Marilyn Levin of the Middle East Crisis Committee. The conference was coordinated by Jerry Gordon of US Labor Against the War and Jeff Mackler. The assembly focused on proposals for building unity for major anti-war demonstrations next spring.

After the conference ended June 29, TONC sponsored a meeting entitled “Obama: A Challenge to the Movement.” More than 50 community and anti-war activists attended. Larry Holmes, Clarence Thomas and Larry Hales of the youth group Fight Imperialism, Stand Together made opening points in a discussion that lasted about two hours.