Debby Scott's summer of peace and canvassing
by Minda Kauffman
This summer, sophomore Debby Scott discovered a new aspect of making peace: canvassing. Scott interned with Peace Action, an anti-nuclear organization, in Chicago.
"I never wanted to do that again," Scott said remembering the rainy June evening of her very first canvassing experience.
Scott, a GC Pax club member, has been involved with peace and justice issues on a Mennonite level but wanted to see what peace and justice work looked like in the secular realm.
"[The internship] made me realize how differently
issues of peace and justice are approached in the Mennonite Church. There
is a lot more anger in the secular world, a willingness to express frustration
and more distinct dichotomizing between 'us and them,' " Scott said.
While working with Peace Action, Scott did not spend all her time canvassing. Half of her time was spent in the Peace Action office organizing events and writing grants and letters.
In the remainder of her time she traveled door-to-door on the streets of Chicago, educating residents about peace and justice issues, soliciting donations and getting signatures for petitions.
Many Mennonites are taught that pacifism requires suppressing anger. At Peace Action, Scott learned that confronting injustice is an integral part of pacifism.
Scott saw both negatives and positives in Peace Action's approach.
"It was good to acknowledge some of the anger within me, but at the same time the overall atmosphere [at Peace Action] had less hope," she said.
As the summer progressed and Scott became more comfortable with Peace Action's approach to fighting injustice, she became a more successful canvasser.
Scott canvassed in both Hyde Park, an economically and racially diverse neighborhood in Chicago, and in Oak Park, a middle to upper-middle class suburb outside of Chicago.
She traveled door-to-door trying to gain support for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which would prohibit the testing of nuclear weapons, and legislation to ban arms trade sales to governments with human rights violations.
Scott's reception varied depending on the economic level of the neighborhood in which she was canvassing.
According to Scott, in the wealthier neighborhoods most people wouldn't listen to her and often had a very defensive attitude.
In the poorer apartment complexes, people signed petitions but had little or no money to give.
Overall, Scott's canvassing ended on a positive note. She found that more people than she had expected agreed with her on the general issues.
Scott also helped organize Hiroshima Day at the University of Illinois, Chicago.
The events of Hiroshima Day took place above the underground site where the first sustained nuclear reaction occurred.
She also spent a large proportion of her time helping to organize the Nuclear Weapons Abolition Conference, which will be held on Oct. 10.
Scott said, "Nuclear weapons is an issue our generation has not concerned itself with. After the Cold War, we relaxed, which is unfortunate because we missed our chance to mobilize and get complete nuclear abolition."
She hopes GC students will take part in this event.