Wooster Peace Collective: Here to break the 'silence on war in Gaza'
Despite the heat wave and unpredictable thunderstorm, over 20 people gathered in front of Wooster City Hall to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Organized by the Wooster Peace Collective (WPC), the rally aimed to present a ceasefire resolution at the Wooster City Council meeting Monday.
The diverse crowd, encompassing various ages, backgrounds and beliefs, began assembling at 6:30 p.m. Signs bore messages like "Ceasefire Now" and "Stop the War," while some participants wore Palestinian Keffiyehs.
The WPC is a group of College of Wooster students, faculty and community members who are working together to advocate for stopping the war and prioritizing spending on American citizens’ needs like healthcare and student loans.
Ian Burns from the WPC began by giving a background of the Gaza-Israeli conflict. After the Oct. 7 attacks, Israel bombarded the Gaza Strip leaving over 37,000 Palestinians dead and over 70,000 injured.
Breaking the silence on the war in Gaza
“In 1967, Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. spoke out against the war in Vietnam,” he said. "He said there comes a time when silence is betrayal, so we are here today to break that silence on the war in Gaza.”
The WPC previously collaborated with Lefties of Wooster and Jewish Voices for Peace, holding teach-ins to educate the community about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the implications of antisemitism.
The Rev. Walter Clark of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, a guest speaker, emphasized the importance of taking a stand.
“This resolution isn’t solely about the Jewish or the Palestinian people, it’s about stopping violence and aiding those persecuted on both sides. This is about peace,” he said. “Remember, you are the people who stood up and took action, living into your values.”
One Palestinian family's story
Barbara Larcom shared a story about a Palestinian family who was directly impacted by the war. She recounted her correspondence with a woman from Gaza, whose family lived in Khan Yunis and faced dire circumstances even before the conflict escalated.
“This family was living in the area called Khan Yunis, which is toward the south,” Larcom said. “Over the time we’ve been corresponding, before October 7, the family was some time out of food, unable to pay their bills.” she said.
Larcom shared some quotes from the woman’s messages with her. Eventually, she said, that the woman lost her home in the bombardment her husband was taken by the IDF and she doesn’t know where her husband is.
Standing up for her beliefs
For Ruth Sewell, attending the Peace Rally was a way to stand up for her beliefs. As she participated in the Black Lives Matter Rally nearly three years ago, she said this event helps people who want peace know they’re not alone.
“I think that the unfortunate thing that comes to mind is that Jewish people have been harassed and that’s unfair, people tend to stereotype each other,” Sewell said.
As the rally concluded, Burns outlined the next steps.
“The Wooster Peace Collective will submit a resolution to the Wooster City Council,” he said.
The resolution condemns all forms of hate and discrimination, supports the UN Security Council resolutions calling for a ceasefire, and enforces the Leahy Law, which prohibits U.S. military assistance to foreign security forces that violate human rights with impunity.
WPC members packed the room as the Wooster City Council began. Although the council did not comment on the resolution, the WPC saw it as a starting point for broader community discussion.
“Our goal is to continue to broaden and deepen our political base,” Burn said. “We will continue to expose how the government's prioritization of war spending happens at the expense of social spending on social justice such as creating jobs with dignity, housing, healthcare, student debt relief, and education."
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Rally for peace in Gaza held at Wooster City Hall Monday evening
