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Resisting the Draft: A Survival Guide for Youth of Color
by the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors

November, 2001
Volume 38, Number 9

What is the Draft?

In response to the events of September 11th 2001, one of the many concerns that has been raised as a result of the United State's immediate rush to war, is the possibility of a forthcoming draft. A draft, otherwise known as conscription, is quite simply the calling to arms of young men in order to be sent to foreign countries with orders to kill, and lay their own lives down should that be the case. The Selective Service is the government agency that is responsible for amassing the names of the young men to be selected, and then goes about the task of getting them from street corners, basketball courts, farms, and classrooms to the frontlines of a U.S. war or conflict, prepared to kill and/or die.

Young men ages 18-26 are required to be registered with the Selective Service. This registration is to be carried out within 30 days of a young man's 18th birthday.

What is the Likelihood of a Draft?

In recent years, the thinking at the Pentagon has been that the u.s. would be looking solely at Gulf War-style wars to be carried out with planes and cruise missiles, and with little hand-to-hand ground combat. Their speculation has also been based around wars/conflicts that can be ended in a matter of weeks with little to no U.S. casualties.

That is not the case here. This "war" that George W. Bush is intent on engaging in, is exactly the war that the military forecasters didn't count on: the possibility of a long, protracted ground war with the likelihood of lots of red, white, and blue body bags. Presently the military has nearly 2.7 million people (over 30% of who are people of color) between active duty and reserves to draw on, but as Bush's "war on terrorism" drags on, the reality of a draft may come to pass.

Prior to the events at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, virtually any draft counselor or military person would have claimed confidently that there was very little possibility of ever reinstating the draft. Today, while maybe not a probability, a draft is definitely a possibility. Thus, since the government sees people of color as being of little value, we must know the facts about resisting the draft in order to elude the U.S. war machine.

What are my Options?

The main thing that draft age men (18+) should do, whether they have registered with the Selective Service or not, is start to document their opposition to war. Not necessarily just this war, but any war. This may help to get a conscientious objector exemption, and not be drafted. The military defines conscientious objection as: "...an opposition to war in any form, based upon a moral, religious, or ethical code." To show this opposition, we encourage youth to document their beliefs by writing a statement of beliefs (stressing unwillingness to participate in any war), having it notarized, listing books read on resistance/revolution (Ghandi, Martin Luther King, ChŽ, Mumia, Malcolm X, etc.), listing organizations that they belong to (i.e. CCCO, AWOL, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, ROOTS, Black Panther Collective, etc.), and events that they have participated in/organized (workshops, demos, trainings, etc.). Once this file is assembled, make copies, make sure everything is dated, and notarized, and send a copy to the Selective Service, and hold onto another copy in the event that there is a draft. If a draft is called and these steps have been followed, the chances of getting a conscientious objector exemption are much stronger.

As for males under 18, one way to avoid being drafted is not to register with the Selective Service in the first place. When ones registers with the Selective Service, he adds his name to a huge pool of names for the military to choose from. As logic has it, if you're not on the list, you won't be drafted.

What Penalties Can I Face?

There are substantial penalties for not registering. As it presently stands, the penalties for non-registration are still officially up to 10 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines. Despite what is technically on the books, it is not the policy of the Selective Service to prosecute people who refuse to register for the draft. Since draft registration was reinstated in 1980, only about 20 young men, out of thousands and thousands, have been prosecuted for not signing up, with no prosecutions occurring since 1985.

Far more effective than the largely empty threats of prison and fines, however, are the financially oppressive tactics currently in use by the Selective Service. Today, if someone refuses to comply with the government's preparations for war by not registering for the draft, they will be denied federal financial aid for college, state financial aid, and they are barred from employment with the federal government (including the postal service and the national park service). Males have until age 26 to register. If registration has not taken place by then, the possibilities of financial aid and government employment are forever forfeited. In addition to these government strong-arm tactics, legislation has been proposed in at least 21 states to deny driver's licenses and/or high school diplomas to non-registrants, and some states have even denied admission to state colleges and universities for choosing not to register for the draft.

The Effects on Communities of Color

Clearly, these measures affect people of color and poor people disproportionately to the rest of the population. While it is true that with the costs of higher education, very few people, despite ethnicity can afford to send someone to college without financial aid, these coercive state and federal laws put an additionally oppressive burden on the shoulders of communities of color that already find ourselves financially strapped, and with very few opportunities to escape these conditions. The same can be said for the middle class. Middle class people cannot afford the costs of a college/university education without financial aid either, but it is predominantly inner city and rural communities of color which experience the virtual nonexistence of opportunities for advancement. Thus, denying financial aid to poor, youth of color is essentially barring them from attaining a college education. While organizations like CCCO/AWOL, War Resisters League/ROOTS, and Center for Conscience & War do team up to provide some financial aid for non-registrants, the financial impact still looms large. The result of these racist, classist, laws, is that for a poor young person of color, living your beliefs by resisting the u.s killing machine can, in fact, impact your future greatly.

Whether you choose to register with the Selective Service or not, be aware of what you are facing and arm yourself with the truth. Spread the word in your schools and communities. Use information through art, music, and creativity to educate young freedom fighters and potential freedom fighters. Now, more than ever, it's time to go AWOL!

Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors / AWOL: Revolutionary Artists Workshop 1515 Cherry St. Philadelphia, PA 19143 1-800-NO JROTC

630 20th St., Ste.# 302 Oakland, CA 94612 1-888-231-CCCO

Visit www.objector.org or http://awol.objector.org

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