A jumbo effort

A group of Tufts students traveled to Washington, D.C. this weekend to join tens of thousands of other Americans in a national protest against the war in Iraq. "This protest comes at a time when President Bush and his war in Iraq face a new opposition from the population's views on the war," Tufts Coalition to Oppose the War on Iraq President Gabe Frumkin said. "It was an opportunity to send a message to Bush against the war in Iraq." Between 35 to 40 members of the Tufts community took part in the event, many of whom were led by Frumkin, fellow student Becky Saggese and Associate Professor of History Gary Leupp. On Saturday the students first attended a discussion about the future of Iraq held by Campus Progress, a progressive group for college students, and heard from foreign policy experts speaking about issues surrounding the war. "The meeting was nice," freshman Sam Webb said. "Often, protests are disorganized, so the meeting was like a concentrated dose of what was to come." Following the conference, students traveled to the National Mall for the rally, where they heard speeches from a variety of people including actress and activist Jane Fonda and U.S. Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-OH). After the rally officially ended at 1:00 p.m., protesters walked around and joined in other anti-war activities. The activist Jumbos ended their day with a dinner in Chinatown. "We were tired, but we were so happy with what we accomplished," freshman Amy Dora said. That night, the students boarded the bus to go home. Those who went on the trip had largely positive reactions. "It's an incredibly exhilarating thing, I think, to be in a group of like-minded individuals," Frumkin said, noting that the size of the group amplified this feeling. Still, he said that protests themselves cannot end the war. "What will end the war is when politicians finally start listening to us," he said. -Alex Blum