With drums piercing and banners flying, protesters and activists converged on Library Mall Saturday for the Voices for Peace Day rally. Speakers, music and a protest parade progressed throughout the day in an attempt to create awareness of government priorities at home and abroad.

The rally was called and organized by Generations for Peace, a peace coalition of groups across the Madison area. Jennifer Hawkins and Ted McManus represented Generations for Peace, in addition to leading the roll call of groups supporting the rally.

“Some people think this war is over,” McManus said. “There are wars going on at home and abroad, and that’s why we’re here.”

The rally drew support from dozens of groups with representatives in attendance. Political parties, student organizations and minority and women’s groups, in particular, voiced their support for the rally at the podium.

Although protesters carrying anti-war and anti-administration signs crowded Library Mall, some said attendance at the rally was lower than they expected.

“I’m sure the other 4,000 people are just looking for parking,” Pat Calchina, the rally’s master of ceremonies, said to the crowd.

Early in the program, the gathered activists marched down State Street to the Capitol, promoting the removal of the American military from the Middle East and continued activism on the part of concerned American citizens.

Robert Miranda, an activist in the Milwaukee Chicano community, stated his belief in the need for continued activism in his keynote speech prior to the protest march.

“In Wisconsin, we march for democracy,” Miranda said.

The timing of the protest had sparked concerns in the Madison community, as the Saturday rally coincided with heightened police presence in accordance with the Mifflin Street Block Party, which has been known historically to create a volatile civic atmosphere. The protesters’ march down State Street interfered with the Saturday morning Farmers’ Market on the Capitol Square.

With a relatively small police presence at the opening of the rally, the activists voiced their agenda largely without incident and without any protests spilling over to the potentially unruly Mifflin Street revelry.

The coalition of supporting groups tackled a number of issues relating to American militarism at home and abroad. Activists spoke out against various domestic issues in the aftermath of military victory in Iraq. Speakers attacked the current state of the media, civil liberties, civil rights, public education and prison systems.

The Voices for Peace Day rally primarily served to voice dissent in a time when the activists felt silenced. Speakers reiterated the need for protest and activism to the crowd.

“Peace is related to all the issues,” Calchina said. “We can’t just focus on one issue. It just doesn’t work that way anymore.”