By MIA QUICK
Web Editor
In an event that mirrors the strong emotions and complexity of a conflict half a world away, political activist Medea Benjamin spoke on April 17 at the Sanctuary to address the polarizing nature of the war in Ukraine and potential for peace, while a group that disagreed handed out leaflets before the event that criticized her views.
Benjamin is recognized as one of the peace movement’s high profile leaders. She is the co-founder of human rights groups CODEPINK, Global Exchange, Peace in Ukraine Coalition, Unfreeze Afghanistan, ACERE, and the Nobel Peace Prize for Cuban Doctors Campaign.
Joan Horgan, director of spiritual life here at the College, introduced Benjamin’s 50-year-long journey as an activist while ‘Women Against War,’ the hosts of this event, set up a booth with Benjamin’s latest book available and general information about the war in Ukraine. Horgan finished her introduction with a statement that summarized the entirety of the event: “Humans tend to prefer a simple lie to complex truths. When life doesn’t land that way, we tend to close our eyes.”
The war has caused clear controversies surrounding acts committed throughout the conflict, but Benjamin believes that the controversies have existed even earlier than this. By dissecting the true causes of the war in Ukraine, Benjamin attempts to find a solution. She believes that the United States plays a large role in Russia invading Ukraine and that a peace proposal is overdue, an ideal that is not always warmly welcomed.
Prior to Benjamin’s speech the Ukraine Solidarity Capital District (USCD), a group dedicated to Ukraine’s independence and territorial integrity, handed out leaflets criticizing Benjamin’s views on holding the United States accountable for the war. Some of their points highlighted Ukraine’s preexisting desire to be free from Russian rule, Russia’s previous attempts to take Ukraine, and that Russia is violating international laws and has no justification for the invasion. They believe that Benjamin misrepresents the reality of the war and shifts blame away from Russia.
“I believe in centering people’s struggle for liberation and working class people trying to avoid the oppression of one of the worst regimes on the planet,” said Pete Warren, a member of USCD. Warren stated that the USCD are typically fans of Benjamin’s work, yet they feel as though the Ukranians are being left out of the discussion. They believe that the Ukrainians are fighting a war of national liberation from oppression similarly to the Palestinians, Nicaraguans, and Vietnamese and that talks of peace proposals need to hold Russia accountable.
Benjamin began the conversation by explaining her beginnings as a peace activist. When the Vietnam War enacted its draft, her friends were sent over, and when they returned, they explained to her some of the horrors they experienced. “My friends were being drafted to a country they knew nothing about to kill people they knew nothing about,” said Benjamin. Some of her passion for the war in Ukraine also stems from her parents, one side being Jewish Ukrainian and the other Russian.
The conversation focused on creating a peace proposal that Russia and Ukraine can agree to that will not be dismissed by the world’s global superpowers. Benjamin stated that the United States continually prevents peace proposal agreements by blocking those made by other countries, such as China and Russia. Benjamin and her fellow activists were once arrested and charged with incommoding (stopping official business) when confronting Antony Blinken, the head of the U.S. state department, after standing up during a congressional hearing and saying, “If you don’t like the Chinese peace proposal, where’s yours?”
CODEPINK’s video War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict features Benjamin and her analysis of NATO and the United States provoking Russia into invading Ukraine. The video was played for the attendees at the sanctuary and its contents claimed that the U.S. and U.K. wanted to weaken Russia by expanding NATO to Russia’s bordering countries. “This is not to justify the invasion or the brutality of what they’re doing,” she said.
The solution provided by Benjamin is to call for a ceasefire and establish a peace proposal that Ukraine and Russia can be satisfied with. Her organizations have called on the faith-based community to speak with faith leaders about calling for a truce. Over 1,500 leaders of varying faiths have responded to the call, this includes Reverend Jesse Jackson from the Rainbow Push Coalition and Thay Phap An from the Plum Village Buddhist community.
The environmental impact of the war ranges from depleted uranium to record-breaking emissions of gasses, and CODEPINK has also called on environmental leaders to join the fray. 350.org, an international movement, and Red Nation, an indigenous organization, have aligned themselves with CODEPINK in an effort to preserve the environment from the effects of the war. Benjamin states that without the need to fund a war, the U.S. could be funneling that money towards the degradation of our planet.
On an individual level it can seem as though there isn’t much that one can do, but Benjamin believes that this is false. “Young people have more power than they think. When young people try to meet with Congress people they pay attention because they know those are going to be future voters.” Supporting a movement can be as simple as contacting your local congress people, creating clubs or open dialogues on campus, or demilitarizing campus. Horgan states that young people often feel content with posting or reposting activist content on social media rather than going a step further. As the spiritual life director, she tries to foster students’ purpose in their lives; “What breaks your heart in the world and what do you want to do something about?”
Horgan believed that the open nature of the dialogue on the war in Ukraine was vital to coming to a solution. She believed that the war is complicated and therefore that it is natural to have passionate disagreements. These disagreements are vital to stimulating more conversations about the war and learning how to peacefully agree or disagree with one another. “We can learn about it, find out more, make an educated point, reconsider when somebody else makes an educated point,” she said.
