It seems silly that something so simple as a t-shirt could help to promote peace, but you wouldn’t believe the response I’ve gotten from this. Every time I wear this shirt, I’m asked what it means and why I’m wearing it. And to me, anything that promotes dialog between people can be used to spread knowledge and understanding.
The shirt is made by a group called Artists Against War, based in New York City. The phrase “We Will Not Be Silent” actually originates from a German student protest group who opposed the Nazi atrocities during World War II.
Artists Against the War picked up the slogan and uses it to protest the atrocities of our time, specifically the American actions in Iraq, such as the murder of innocents and illegal torture of prisoners of war. Myself, I see it as a symbol of an issue I feel more deeply about: the current conflict between Israel and Lebanon.
It saddens me how little the general American public understands about this war. It received a few weeks of media coverage, and is now mostly out of the news. Most Americans (even educated people such as college students) never knew why the conflict started or why it is so devastating to the undeserving Lebanese people. Whenever I wear my shirt, I wear it with pride and hope that someone will ask me why I wear it, so that I have another chance to explain and to advocate peace.
If you want your own shirt, they can be ordered for a donation at
http://www.aawnyc/org
