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Celebrate IVAW's History

By Aaron Hughes

I have been thinking a lot about those long-time members of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) who have been building IVAW from the ground up. I know it can be hard to look back at the last decade of activism, organizing, and community building, and feel a sense of great accomplishment in light of how deeply entrenched the military now is in the Middle East, the growing instability throughout the region, the lasting impacts of US intervention on the people of Afghanistan and Iraq, and the painful effect on the veterans' community. It is hard for many to remember the massive amount of work that we have done over the past decade and the victories that we have fought for.

I have been thinking a lot about the new members joining IVAW. Some of them are still in the military while others have been out for some time, but all of them have realized that the military experience is not what they had hoped for. Even after having one on one introductions to the organization with Maggie Martin, IVAW Organizing Director, spending time reviewing the website, and perusing the internet it can still be hard to get a full picture of all that IVAW members have done and accomplished over the past decade.

I have been thinking a lot about our peace movement's struggle for unity, direction, momentum, and the redundancy and exhaustion of specific tactics and actions. It can be hard for this movement to acknowledge our accomplishments, reflect on our missteps, and draw on our history in figuring the best ways to move forward to end US foreign intervention, occupations, and militarism.

I have been thinking a lot about future generations and what they will know about Iraq Veterans Against the War.

It is all this thinking about IVAW, that encouraged me to begin to work on a portfolio project to celebrate IVAW's history. I have spent the past year working with Kevin Basl from Iraq Veterans Against the War, Josh MacPhee and Jesse Purcell of Justseeds Artists Cooperative, Siri Margerin of Civilian-Soldier Alliance, and Marshall Weber of Booklyn Artists Alliance to create Celebrate People's History: Iraq Veterans Against the War—Ten Years of Fighting for Peace and Justice, a portfolio of prints celebrating IVAW's ten-year history. The portfolio features contributions from IVAW members, Justseeds Artists' Cooperative members, along with allied veterans, artists, and writers. The prints highlight key ideas, moments, projects, tactics, and individuals from our history in order to uplift IVAW's ongoing struggle, inspire others to take action, and preserve the movement's history for future generations.

This portfolio is for those long-time IVAW members to recall proudly and be inspired to action by the victories that we have had and all the work we have done. It is a tool for orienting new members to the history they inherit in joining IVAW. This portfolio is a tool for the peace movement to reflect back on what has worked and what steps we can take moving forward to build a stronger and more effective movement. This portfolio is for future generations to understand the rich history of struggle and resistance with the military and veteran communities.

Booklyn Artists Alliance, Civilian-Soldier Alliance, Justseeds Artist Cooperative, Iraq Veterans Against the War, and Repetitive Press have begun to exhibit and distribute Celebrate People's History: Iraq Veterans Against the War—Ten Years of Fighting for Peace and Justice portfolio and we want to share it with you. The portfolio is promising to be a historical art and educational document for veterans, artists, activists, researchers, and the American public! If you are interested in hosting an exhibition of the portfolio in your local community please contact me at aarhughes@ivaw.org. I would love arrange to loan you an exhibition copy.

Aaron Hughes is an artist, teacher, organizer, and Iraq War veteran, whose work seeks out poetics, connections, and moments of beauty, in order to in order to construct new languages and meanings out of personal and collective traumas.

Chicago wheat-pasting of images From Celebrate People's History: Iraq Veterans Against the War—Ten Years of Fighting for Peace and Justice.