Los Angeles, CA, March 2006. Annabelle Valencia, Pablo Paredes, and Fernando Suarez del Solar walked with others from Tijuana to San Francisco, speaking out against the Iraq war in Latino communities. Photo: Steve Gibson.

In Tijuana, Mexico a small group of men and women began a walk toward San Francisco on March 12. The purpose of this 16-day march and caravan was to advocate an end to the war in Iraq and to honor those who have already died because of this war.

The leaders had come together because of different life experiences. On March 27, 2003, Jesus Suarez del Solar, a 20-year-old marine from San Diego serving in Iraq died after stepping on an illegal US cluster bomb. His father, Fernando Suarez del Solar, has since become a leading spokesperson for an end to this war. In December 2004, US Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Pablo Paredes refused to board the USS Bonhomme Richard as it was leaving San Diego for the Middle East, for which he was sentenced to three months' hard labor and discharged. Annabelle Valencia has a son and a daughter who have each served three tours in Iraq, and she fears they will have to return again. Camilo Mejia served one tour in Iraq and then became a National Guard war resister.  He was jailed for nine months for his opposition to the war and is now a prominent anti-war speaker and member of Iraq Veterans Against the War.

Each of these march leaders and those who joined them along the way have felt compelled to take action against the war. Fernando honors the memory of his son. Pablo has friends who have died and others who are at risk now in this war. Annabelle fears for her children who have already been at risk and will be again if the war continues.  All of them are becoming leaders because of what has happened to them due to the war.

Around the country, people are developing public speaking and organizing skills because they want to communicate with other people about stopping this war and making the world a better place. There is a growing movement in the US and around the world of ordinary citizens whose voices are starting to be heard beyond their immediate social circles. This movement began with people talking to those who were closest to them, and has spread. There is a strong desire among those they meet for opposition voices in the public discourse.

Wherever they organized and spoke, these marchers expressed several goals: counter military recruitment; honor the dead; stop the war; talk about the government's disrespect for the rights of Iraqis and those in the military; and demonstrate the deep spiritual power of nonviolence.

The marchers focused attention especially on how military recruiters go about signing up young Latinos to join the armed services, often by misleading them into thinking they will automatically get US citizenship.
"My goal is to create a forum to talk about the effects of the war and the recruiting efforts that continue in the Latino community [5]," Suarez del Solar said. "This is another way to focus attention on the human sacrifices from this war and the continuing opposition to it."

Every day Suarez del Solar began with the same speech. "You are not here to support me, Pablo, or Annabelle. We are here to support the children in Iraq and our children fighting there. This march is for all working-class people."

Annabelle pointed out the loss of rights by her children.
"Even after five years, the government still says my children belong to them," she said.

The march was modeled after the 241-mile "Salt March [6]" in 1930 by Mohandas Gandhi, to protest the British presence in India. The marchers walked 15 miles every day, showing their willingness to sacrifice themselves to share their message and reach others. They show a faith in the power of nonviolent action to change the world. The marchers often stopped at churches and received blessings for their mission of saving lives and ending war.

The march ended in San Francisco on March 27, but the movement for peace, social change, and empowerment by ordinary people is continuing.