Holmes speaks in L.A.
Anti-war message resonates in community meetings
By Jimmie Cho
Los Angeles
Larry Holmes, a co-coordinator of the International Action
Center and member of the ANSWER coalition, gave rousing,
inspiring calls to protest the war in Afghanistan and the
resulting analogous war at home to two meetings here
recently.
On Nov. 30 at the Korean Immigrant Workers Advocates in
Koreatown, and on Dec. 1 at the KRST Unity Center of African
Spirituality in South Central Los Angeles, Holmes got a strong
response from many in the audience. As International Action
Center volunteer Jennifer Kang said, "We were all hit by a wave
of motivation from the front of the room."
Roughly 70 people attended the talks on Friday and Saturday.
Although Holmes tailored his speeches toward the different
audiences on both days, the core message he gave was
resoundingly unified and clear: "The war is an attack on
everyone, whether abroad or here at home."
The hosts of both venues, Elizabeth Sunwoo at the Korean
Immigrant Workers Advocates and the Rev. Richard (Meri Ka Ra)
Byrd at the KRST Unity Center of African Spirituality, echoed
Holmes's commitment to ending the war. Reverend Byrd said, "We
share in your commitment to peace and justice and
righteousness."
Holmes quoted the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in saying that
"the United States is the greatest purveyor of violence in the
world." He outlined the sequence of events that led the Bush
administration to use the tragedy of Sept. 11 as an excuse for
war and military buildup abroad and the repression of dissent
here at home.
He reminded us of what we had all thought of George W. Bush
before Sept. 11--as someone who stole the election and who
executed Black and Latino prisoners as governor of Texas.
At KIWA, Holmes stated that the Bush administration was
attacking the right of immigrants to be involved politically
and that "it is in our best interest to fight for our political
rights." At the KRST Center, Holmes urged everyone to remember
COINTELPRO, the government's war against activists during the
heyday of 1960s political activism, and said, "The
pronouncement that is right now against immigrants may be
against religious and political leaders tomorrow." He called
the war "a war with many fronts."
Reprinted from the Dec. 13, 2001, issue of
Workers World newspaper
This article is copyright under a Creative
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