The film shows activists use street theater, rallies and other non-violent approaches to anti-war demonstrations. Women — clad in pink clothing, peace signs, feather boas and cowboy hats —beat on drums, chant, or sing as they protest together as a part of a group called Code Pink. These women advocate for peace and liberty, with some opting to reappropriate the visage of the Statue of Liberty to one more pink than green. Another group called The Iraq Veterans against the War, staged guerilla warfare theatrics at the Democratic National Convention (DNC). Participants ran around and clashed with Iraqi civilians, volunteer actors, in hopes of drawing attention to the reality of the Iraqi-American conflict unseen by American civilians.
We see young women shouting in megaphones as armed police officers watch on the curbside. In one scene, a woman – later revealed to be the cofounder of Code Pink —stands in front of a line of stony faced police armed with batons and shouts “let’s stop putting all our money into the military and police and start putting it into people’s needs.” Our bright pink heroine stands ahead men in black riot gear, creating a profound visual contrast that to this writer, seems an appropriate redefinition of democracy.
If you, like this writer, are interested in the political conversations of today, such as defunding the police and freedom of speech, you too may find it extremely powerful to see past generations echoing the sentiments of today’s youth. The Activists will appeal to any interested in the history pre-dating recent American protests.
