 New York City, New York - At the outset of the Not In Our Name project, my main concern was fighting against post 9/11 backlash against Arabs, Muslims & South Asians.
Under normal circumstances these three groups (diverse within themselves to begin with) do not always overlap or necessarily have anything in common with each other. But as was the case in WWII when my grandparents were interned, xenophobic hysteria plays a key role in public approval of a war abroad. And now, even with anall time low approval rating, the Bush administration has managed to set the tone for more of the same.
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 Greenville, South Carolina - As a third generation anti-war activist who’d stood alone, burning a U.S. flag, on the steps of the Federal Building in Greenville, South Carolina to protest the 1991 U.S. invasion of Iraq, I jumped at the opportunity to be a part of the founding and organization of Not In Our Name. I shall be ever grateful to have been a part of the creation of the broad ranging anti-imperialist spaces and culture of resistance that Not In Our Name became for myself and countless others. It emerged out of the clamor of the Bush war drums and deafening silence of a weary and increasingly repressed people. It awakened this nation with the artistic coalition that wrote our timeless pledge of resistance which I proudly presented here and abroad at national demonstrations large and small and distributed in Baghdad. The safe meeting and work spaces that invited wide ranging exchanges of ideas nurtured and launched countless voices and actions in the U.S. and the world. It has been my privilege and honor to have been present and a part of an effort which fostered human development and advanced the continuing struggle for justice and liberation of the peoples of the world. Uhuru. |
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Sacramento, California - George MacAdow has anchored the Sacramento chapter of Not in Our Name. George is active in the Sacramento Coalition Against the War, Sacramento Coalition to Save Public Education and continues his Union work. We fondly remember George’s longtime partner Ruth Holbrook, whose tireless and courageous work for a better world through Not in Our Name and many other vehicles continues to inspire us all. |
 Oakland, California - From the initial US attack on Iraq through Fall 2006, I had the privilege of being a national Not in Our Name staff organizer. Few folks get paid to travel the country meeting with antiwar veterans, camping outside the Bush ranch in Crawford, Texas, and attending military court martial proceedings of GI resisters. From this organizing, and my own experience as a US Marine objector to the 1991 Gulf War, I went on to help form Courage To Resist - an organization dedicated to “supporting the troops who refuse to fight.” What’s it going to take to end the illegal and unjust war and occupation of Iraq? A critical part of the answer I believe is support for the troops who refuse. www.couragetoresist.org |
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Maui, Hawai'i - As a long-time activist in Washington state I was very excited when I heard about the inception of the Not in our Name Project. When Not in Our Name came along it was just in time!
It was difficult then to see violence against my Middle Eastern brothers and sisters around the country and the climate of W’s initially unopposed war cry along with the attacks on people who might even look Arab made the time perfect for “NOT IN OUR NAME.” This organization caught on and I believe contributed immensely to the record numbers who turned out world wide on the eve of Bush’s illegal death march into Iraq.
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 Berkeley, California - NOT IN OUR NAME!!! NOT IN OUR NAME!!! NOT IN OUR NAME!!! Another Word is Possible, and I Pledge To Make it Real! What can I say, at a crazy time in this world Not in our Name became mine and my families’ outlet! And who would have known then that it would have given me a whole new family in all that I have met along the way. To all that fought and ran the streets with my mom Joanne Rojas I say for her DON'T STOP.
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 Kicapoo Watershed, Wisconsin - Having despaired that anyone was ever going to stand up against the bellicose Bush regime, I eagerly attended the anti-war protest in DC in April ’02. There I encountered the Not In Our Name Pledge of Resistance and the call for a launching event on June 6. Back home in rural Wisconsin, I answered that call and was welcomed into a circle of activists from both coasts (and a few places in between). The Pledge Project was launched; I was invited to join regular conference calls and, later, the steering committee. Not in Our Name gave me a voice in a national movement and true friends among other Not in Our Name activists across the country. I am grateful to have been part of this Project, which did much more to launch the current anti-war movement than most people realize. I continue to oppose war and continue my 30-year commitment to War Tax Resistance. |
 Cleveland, Ohio - I am proud to have organized with the amazing activists under the banner of Not In Our Name since Oct.6, 2002, where I participated with 10,000 others in Central Park in the reading of the Pledge of Resistance.
The time I spent with Not In Our Name activists and supporters helping to organize resistance in New York City to the RNC was what I consider to be my political Woodstock! Marching with 600,000 others on August 29th and participating in the organizing leading up to and during the week long marches and events of resistance during the R.N.C. were life altering.
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 Oakland, California - As a public school teacher, I saw the importance of living by example. I very much became passionate teaching students about resistance during times of oppression. Following 9-11, I felt compelled to no longer keeping silent to the injustices that our government was responsible for. The Not in Our Name project kept me from remaining complacent. I felt a strong urge to speak out against my government. Working with fellow organizers allowed me to make the connections between my grandparents’ internment during WWII and the round-ups and detentions of the Arab-Muslim communities. My experience working with the Not in Our Name project has opened my eyes to harvesting creative avenues of resistance during times of oppression. |
 Oakland, California - Not in Our Name’s S.F. Bay Area chapter had a great concert at the Berkeley Community Theater on Jan 31, 2003. I went to that concert for the music, but I stayed for the politics! I was at a point in my life when I felt I just had to ‘do something’ about the war, about the detentions and roundups, about the whole direction of society under Bush Jr. Not in Our Name’s message was so strong, so true, and so accessible. I can’t say enough about the people I’ve met through Not in Our Name. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you, and to all our supporters who have kept this organization afloat for a great 6 year run. Currently I am working with Courage To Resist in Oakland, doing all we can to support the troops who refuse to fight, and to grow a GI Resistance movement in the U.S. and around the globe. |
 Oakland, California - I am so proud to have contributed to the work of Not In Our Name, and extremely honored and privileged to have worked alongside so many amazing warriors in the struggle for justice. From the “Million Globe Campaign” which used the image of the Earth to create a powerful visual resistance to the forced post-911 patriotism across the country, to the fight for Central Park during the major protests at the 2004 Republican National Convention, to our die-ins at major demonstrations - and everything in between - Not In Our Name was an incredible vehicle for resisters. We helped bring about the kind of antiwar movement that was needed in 2002, and collectively fought for 5 years against this juggernaut of a war machine. The work is far from done, and although it’s sad to close the door on this history making project, it allows another one to open. Another World Is Possible! And we’ll keep fighting to make it real. |
 New York City, New York - Not in Our Name changed me from a person who went to protests to someone who organizes and engages in acts of resistance on a daily basis. I have been inspired by the courage and determination of the wonderful people who work with Not in Our Name, and look forward to continuing projects with them. In times like these, it is apparent that everything we have been doing is not enough, and we all need to do more. For me, this means participating in acts of civil resistance, including engaging in arrestable acts such as Port Militarization Resistance and direct actions that confront the powers in Washington D.C. I will continue working with Activist Response Team, a NY area group that organizes creative direct actions. |
 New York City, New York - I joined Not In Our Name in April 2002, soon after it was founded. This was the first time I had joined a group that was stood so vocal and bravely stood in opposition to the post-9/11 detentions and deportations, backlash on Muslims, war on immigrants and war on the world!
For a Muslim New Yorker this was a very powerful experience and for the first time since 9/11 I did not feel alone! Being part of Not in Our Name helped me find my own voice as a Muslim New Yorker and enabled me to take risks, stand and speak out. And so I took to the streets and fought back along with thousands of others. We were out protesting, rallying, organizing events and raising money. Not in Our Name was the first to organize a rally in Central Park in October 2002 to stop Bush from attacking Iraq. Many followed suit.
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 Ventura, California - I had just moved to Ventura, California before the Iraq war started. A bunch of us formed the local Not In Our Name group.
I connected with the national office about a year after the war had started and was soon asked to join the steering committee. The group helped to send a message out on a national level the likes of which I had never experienced before. We were here and we made sure you knew it. When you see this message I will be on the Longest Walk 2, a 5 month walk from San Francisco to Washington D.C. We will be reaching D.C. on July 11th and would love to have the support of groups and individuals in that area when we arrive. Upon completion of the walk I intend to stay in the D.C. area and continue to send out the Not In Our Name message. War on the World? Not in Our Name!
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 San Francisco, California - When preparing to give birth last year, I wanted a midwife that would encourage me to breath, help me to find my strength, introduce new ideas and teach me to PUSH. Harder… again…one more time.
Working fearlessly with Not in Our Name often felt like giving birth. Challenging and scary, exciting and monumental all in one contraction. And then on to the next one. Thinking I could not tolerate the pain for another minute and then feeling hands of support or words of clarity that gave me the ability to keep going. And what wonderful midwives we had. Folk that had been holding out their arms to the people of the world for decades.
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 Los Angeles, California - From the beginnings of the project, when it was just an idea in the heads of a few people, the potential for it filled me with a youthful excitement.
The responsibility weighed heavily upon me was well. It was a dangerous time and something new and determined was required. Words, concepts, ideas can become a material force but people must bring them to life. At every turn people surprised me. From one-on-one gatherings in coffee shops, to group meetings, to our large founding meeting in New York, the little project grew. It grew because people were confronted with the opportunity and necessity to take control of the future – and they rose to the occasion. We all saw first hand what a beautiful thing a truly collective experience can be… and what power it can manifest.
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