Vivian and Richard Rightmyer

This year a number of peace and justice groups will reconvene to march again in the parade for Memorial Day. The purpose is "to honor those who have suffered and died due to war by working for a future of peace and justice."

That same mission in 1984, however, caused a rift between the veterans and a peace group. It resulted in the first cancellation in 116 years of the traditional military display down Main Street. The veterans accused Rochester Women's Action for Peace of wanting "exposure and exploitation of their own political views," which would "detract from the proper spirit" of honoring the war dead. Women who carried anti-nuclear war and peace banners, it was claimed, were "using the parade's large crowd to sell their own political message." The cancellation made national news. The peace women courageously said they were going to host the parade themselves and invite the broader community. "All different views are welcome," said the peace coordinator (Times Union, 5/24/84)

Now thirty years later, that welcoming of different views by a coordinating peace group has become exclusive and divisive. Metro Justice sent a letter uninviting Feminists for Nonviolent Choices Why? Because FFNVC, like Pax Christi, which we belong to, is one of 200 organizations nationally that oppose all killing: abortion, war, capital punishment and economic injustice. Because Metro Justice supports abortion rights, pro-life groups are not allowed to participate. Both abortion and war takes human life on an unimaginable scale. But at a planning meeting, FFNVC put their consistent life ethic aside, and pledged neutrality on abortion. After all, the Memorial Day parade was about war. FFNVC would only march with a banner identifying their group and not display anything related to their position. But the peace people still accused pro-lifers of using the parade for their own political views. The same arguments used by the veterans are now used by the peace people.

We have a vision of all kinds of people seeing the futility of war: "not just pro-life people, but conservatives who oppose the destruction of families; Republicans who see how the military budget drives up the national debt; by religious people who oppose war because of the 5th commandment, Thy shalt not kill." We want to recognize different strategies to eliminate killing people. This is our mutual goal.

The Rightmyers are members of Pax Christi, Rochester.