The Chester County Peace Movement held an Anti-War Rally on the Chester County Courthouse steps Saturday, April 21. The rally marked 17 years of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars as well as the 50th anniversary of the “Poor People’s Campaign—Solidarity Day Rally for Jobs, Peace and Freedom” led by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The rally held several speakers associated with different movements and organizations, as well as Representative Carolyn Comitta and Mayor Diane Herrin.

According to the Chester County Peace Movement, trillions of dollars have been spent on supporting the anti-terrorism wars. They say the global war on terror military spending was almost four times the investment in people’s lives at home by 2016. More than 95 million Americans are in poverty. They further said that poor people are subject to joining the military because of poverty and lack of opportunities for jobs, training and education.

Grant Maurer, a local West Chester high school student and a March for Our Lives advocate, spoke on both anti-war and anti-gun violence. “96 people are killed daily in America by guns, and I care about the pursuit of peace,” said Maurer. “Americans are killed daily overseas. And I think there are a lot of parallels between these two movements; between the movements of peace and the movement for the end of gun violence.”

Maurer went on to discuss his opposition to the country’s military actions. “I love our troops. I sit next to a guy [and] he’s joining the Marines next year after he graduates. My cousin is in the Navy. I support them and I want them to be safe and succeed, but that doesn’t mean I have to support the actions our country takes abroad.”

Another speaker, Asa Khalif, is part of the Coalition for Black Lives, and emphasized the importance of bringing different coalitions together to fight for peace. He stated that the system is not built for poor people, black or brown people or anyone not in the one percent.

“This system is about rich people, privileged people, powerful people and the hell with the poor. Martin Luther King; he understood that this was more than just color, this was about coalition building,” he said.

Comitta stated the importance of young people’s voices and their contributions to change. She brought up children changing the course of history during the Vietnam War and now young people leading the way for change today.

She stated, “Change comes from students, from young people, from all the people. If you are waiting for your government to change the world, you are going to be waiting forever and very disappointed.”

Herrin was the final speaker before the concluding sing-along. She denounced violence for violence. Herrin called for aggressive diplomacy and the government re-evaluating priorities.

“We have to always remind everyone that to overcome terrorism, we must address the grievances that give rise to it in the first place. And it’s time that we start voting for the people who have the brains and the moral fortitude to see that this is the way forward.”

Stacey Milas is a fourth-year student majoring in English with a minor in journalism. ✉ SM827414@wcupa.edu.