This image is from Celebrate People’s History/Iraq Veterans Against the War: Ten Years of Fighting for Peace and Justice, a portfolio that celebrated IVAW’s first ten years and was produced by Justseeds, IVAW, Booklyn, Repetitive Press, and the Civilian Soldier Alliance.
(IVAW is now known as About Face: Veterans Against the War)
At the 2006 Veterans for Peace Convention, Lt. Ehren Watada, the first officer to refuse to deploy to Iraq, called for other soldiers to refuse illegal and unjust war, and for the public to concretely support those soldiers. As he spoke, fifty members of IVAW silently filed on stage behind him, literally having his back. That moment inspired this print.
David Solnit is an art and direct action organizer, co-founder of Courage to Resist, and co-author of Army of None living and working in the San Francisco bay Area. He supported IVAW during its largest direct action protest at the Democratic National Convention in 2008.
A dark blue spray painted frame encloses a photograph of a cloudy sky. A flock of birds fly. Below, a photograph of half a dozen young people stand behind the central figure who is speaking. Some of the men and women wear “Iraq Veterans Against the War” t-shirts, a keffiyeh, and name tags. The speaker is a Pacific Islander or Asian young man with short black hair. Text is placed in front of the cloud images, stating: “…To stop an illegal and unjust war, the soldiers can choose to stop fighting it. If we want soldiers to choose the right but difficult path — they must know beyond any shadow of a doubt that they will be supported. — Lt. Ehren Watada.”
