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The Voices of Conscience: Civil Rights and African Liberation Activists Who Opposed “The Good War”, Part II

StoryJanuary 16, 2002
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Yesterday we spoke to the co-producer of a new documentary airing on PBS this week, “The Good War And Those WhoRefused To Fight It” which tells the story of conscientious objectors who refused to fight “the good war.” World WarII is largely considered the most popular war of the century, but while 16 million Americans served in the militaryduring World War II, nearly 43,000 Americans refused to fight. We do not often hear the stories of these men, andespecially not in wartime. After the events of September 11th there has been a renewed media campaign of patriotismand gratitude for all war veterans.

Today we will continue our conversation with two World War II conscientious objectors and civil rights activists.Bill Sutherland joins us in our studio: he is co-author of the book ??Guns and Gandhi in Africa: Pan AfricanInsights on Nonviolence Armed Struggle and Liberation in Africa. He is a lifelong African liberation activist whosplits his time between Tanzania and the US. George Houser is also with us, he is the founder of the AmericanCommittee on Africa, now called Africa Action, and the longtime executive secretary of the Congress of RacialEquality.

Guests:

  • George Houser, World War II conscientious objector and civil rights activist.
  • Bill Sutherland, World War II conscientious objector and African liberation activist.

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