A Perspective On The Events Of March 20
A perspective on the events of March 20
By Rose Vainstein
At 1:15 p.m. on March 20, with a mere 15-minute delay, the Committee on the Affirmation of Human Dignity and Freedom began its hour-long rally on the steps of the Federal Building in downtown Ann Arbor. What was truly extraordinary was the show of resolve and strength that sustained Committee members and rally participants, encouraging them to carry on with the scheduled program despite the preceeding and unexpected melee on the site, an event which was graphically presented in the media. Having previously announced City Hall as the place for their Saturday demonstration, instead, the neo-Nazi prpnp pre-empted our Federal Building site for which we had obtained an official permit from appropriate authorities.
FROM THE VERY outset, the Committee’s rally was planned as a communitywide alternative, never as either a confrontation or a counter demonstration. It was intended as Ann Arbor’s opportunity to reaffirm, openly and publicly, those concepts which are basic to The Declaration of Independence and The Bill of Rights. For as Thomas Jefferson so aptly stated 'Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.” One can easily take for granted, perhaps even forget, all that freedom implies - whether freedom of speech, freedom of press, or freedom of assembly.
The Committee’s March 20 statement was made through the spoken word, through music and song, through dramatic and visual presentations. Well attended, the effective program attracted approximately 1,000 people from all walks of life. It soon became a closely knit group, one with civility, sensitivity and ecumenical concern as its main focus and emphasis. And that’s what we wished the media had also portrayed, devoting the same insight and space to our people, with their shared vision of a free and just society, as was accorded the negative and confrontational elements earlier in the day.
THE OVER 25 religious, cultural, ethnic, educational and humanitarian groups that joined with the Jewish Community Council of Washtenaw County, they too stood and were counted. They, too, made a public statement on behalf of plurality and freedom, all in peaceful assembly. If one picture is worth a thousand words, then surely pictures of this other part of Saturday’s events are worth recording, and in equal measure. The public’s so-called “right to know” should have also included photographs of these all too rare occasions when people act decently, openly and courageously.
Even in brief retrospect, there is no doubt that it would have been easier, by design and strategy, to remain silent, to ignore the neo-Nazi challenge. “Don’t give them a public platform,” some said, “for without media attention, they can’t survive.” But history teaches us otherwise. To speak up and speak out will always be essential, especially where matters of freedom and human decency are concerned. In its planning, the committee deliberated with great care and prudence.
What happened that day will perhaps be differently remembered, depending on one’s perspective and point of view. For my part, I saw within a brief segment of time, Ann Arborites coming together on the ties that bind, to begin anew the ever constant struggle to remain what we are - responsible and concerned citizens. That day, with its affirmation rally, is a vivid reminder of how a community can respond to an outside threat, with vigor, purpose and creativity. But the work of the ad-hoc coalition must continue, in fact, be strengthened. For here is an agenda to which we must rededicate ourselves, in deed as well as in spirit - that of education for the defense of freedom in a pluralistic society. Saturday’s rally by the Committee on the Affirmation of Human Dignity and Freedom was a fine beginning, showing us the truth behind the old verity of “In unity there is strength.”