Winds of the old days waft through the College of Staten Island's peace fest
http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/04/winds_of_the_old_days_waft_thr.html
By Arianna Imperato
April 16, 2010
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. --- Give peace another chance.
They went barefoot on the grass, strummed guitars and wore flowers in
their hair in the gentle spring sunshine yesterday at the College of
Staten Island in Willowbrook.
"We're trying to bring back an antiwar atmosphere, and trying to get
people to think," said Peace Club President Tara Jeanne, a senior
education major.
The student activists called their festival "Rally to Knowledge: A
History of Student Activism."
Sophomore Linda Soria set the tone with her soulful rendition of Sam
Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come," which was an anthem of the civil
rights movement.
"This is a great way to get people together with music and ideas," she said.
VIETNAM VET SPEAKS
One of the speakers was Vietnam War veteran and CSI alumnus Bill
Johnsen. So "nervous and frightened" was the 20-year-old Johnsen when
he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1969 that he refused to step
forward for the Oath of Allegiance during his induction ceremony at
Fort Hamilton.
"I felt that what we were doing was wrong," he said in respect of the
unpopular war.
Despite his defiance, Johnsen was inducted "in less than traditional
circumstances" -- he was designated a security risk --on pain of five
years' imprisonment and a $10,000 fine.
Toward the end of his training in Alabama, Johnsen went AWOL and
headed to Washington, D.C., in hopes of speaking to New York Sen.
Charles Goodell. Johnsen ended up behind bars for two weeks before
spending a year in Vietnam with Alpha Company, 1-8 Cavalry Battalion.
He was wounded three times.
TOO 'COMPLACENT'
"That spirit of coming together is missing," he said of today's
generation, whom he deems too "complacent" on issues of war.
By contrast, "The people who are here have the spirit," he said of
the CSI turnout, which numbered about 40.
Johnsen convinced junior Ilya Geller, a member of the Peace Club and
featured speaker, to wear an American flag shirt. Geller read a poem
of his own called "Woodstock Nation," in which he advocates for
"peace, love and harmony," culture and community, and even the use of
psychedelics.
"This is what it's really all about," Geller said of the event,
adding, "We need love and cooperation."
Political science Professor Harry Cason, whose tenure at CSI spans
21-plus years, advises the Peace Club along with Sociology Professor
Jay Arena. Cason spoke yesterday about CUNY's history of protest and
the importance of equal opportunity for minority-group members. He
referenced City College's 1969 protest, when more than 200 African
American and Latino students demanded greater enrollment of minority students.
"They had support from their community," Cason said passionately into
the microphone. "Because of their energy, they got what they wanted."
The New York Public Interest Research Group was a partner in
yesterday's festival.
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