WASHINGTON, DC - On Saturday, January 27th, people from every corner of the country will gather in massive numbers in Washington, DC, to protest the war in Iraq. Organized by United for Peace and Justice, the rally and march will call on Congress to listen to the voters, not Bush, and use its power to end the war now. The last three national marches organized by UFPJ each attracted between 300,000 and 500,000 people.
The pre-march rally will be held on the National Mall, between 3rd Street and 7th Street. Organizers of the protest today released the list of scheduled speakers. This list is subject to change:
Speakers, in alphabetical order:
Mayor Rocky Anderson, Salt Lake City, UT
Moriah Arnold, 12-year-old sixth grader from Harvard, MA
Carlos Arredondo, Gold Star Families for Peace
Medea Benjamin, founder of CodePink: Women for Peace
Leslie Cagan, National Coordinator, United for Peace and Justice
Representative John Conyers (D-MI)
Eve Ensler, playwright
Jane Fonda, actress/author
Kim Gandy, President of the National Organization for Women
Danny Glover, actor/activist
Reverend Graylan Hagler, Plymouth Congregational Church, Washington, DC
Jonathon Hutto, active-duty member of the U.S. Navy
Reverend Jesse Jackson, RainbowPUSH Coalition
Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)
Rabbi Michael Lerner, Tikkun Magazine
Kevin Martin, Executive Director, Peace Action
Garett Reppenhagen, Iraq Veterans Against the War
Tim Robbins, actor/activist
Susan Sarandon, actor/activist
Eleanor Smeal, Feminist Majority
Bob Watada, father of Lt. Ehren Watada, first officer to refuse deployment to Iraq
Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA)
Representative Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)
Ann Wright, retired Army Colonel, former State Dept. diplomat
Music
Emma's Revolution
Bedouin - rapper
Raging Grannies - from California to New York
In addition to Saturday's massive protest, United for Peace and Justice is organizing a Grassroots Lobby Day on Monday, January 29th. Over 700 people from 47 states have already made appointments to meet with at least 260 Congressional offices.
United for Peace and Justice's website has received more than 5 million hits thus far in January -- 650,000 on Wednesday alone.
Media professionals planning to cover the march should register for press credentials at
www.unitedforpeace.org. For advance interviews with United for Peace and Justice spokespeople, please call UFPJ's media coordinator, Hany Khalil, at 718-637-7351.
With more than 1,400 member groups under its umbrella, United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ) is the nation's largest grassroots peace and justice coalition. Since its founding in October 2002, UFPJ has spurred hundreds of protests and rallies around the country, including the three largest marches against the Iraq war.
www.unitedforpeace.org