Anti-War Voices I've NEVER Heard

As I was scrolling through Antiwar.com and The American Conservative, something hit me hard. These websites are filled with powerful voices speaking out against U.S. military actions worldwide, yet my friends and I have never heard of them. Why is that?

My grandmother, my boyfriend, 
and I at his graduation.

It reminds me of my grandmother’s stories. She was on the front lines during civil rights protests in North Carolina in the 1960s. I still visit her in Washington, NC, on the weekends I’m in town visiting my boyfriend, who lives in Greenville, NC. She’s usually sitting on her rocking chair on her porch with me listening as she describes marching despite threats, standing strong when others tried to silence her. She tells me about her first day at a newly desegregated school—how the silence was deafening as she walked down that hallway.

“Baby,” she says, squeezing my hand, “when everyone’s saying the same thing, that’s exactly when you need to listen for the quiet voices saying something different.”

Her words echo in my mind when I think about how America treats antiwar voices. During the Progressive Era, hundreds of Americans were jailed simply for opposing World War I.

People like Eugene V. Debs were imprisoned for years just for giving speeches questioning the war. He actually received one million votes for president while serving a 10-year sentence. It became a landmark Supreme Court case: Debs v. United States (1919), which upheld his conviction under the Espionage Act of 1917, holding that it did not violate his First Amendment rights to freedom of speech. That history isn’t ancient—it’s a reminder of how fragile free speech can be when it challenges power.

The First Amendment was designed specifically to protect unpopular speech, especially criticism of government actions like war. Yet turn on any major news network during military conflicts today, and you’ll find retired generals analyzing strategy and politicians debating tactics—but rarely anyone questioning whether we should be involved at all.

I wonder why networks that claim to value diverse perspectives somehow manage to exclude consistent antiwar viewpoints. Is it because defense contractors sponsor news segments? Or because challenging military action gets labeled “unpatriotic”? Maybe it’s just easier to go with the flow than to question the powerful.

As a junior studying political science, I’m learning how crucial dissent is to democracy. My grandmother taught me that progress never comes from everyone agreeing with the status quo. It comes from those brave enough to stand apart and ask uncomfortable questions—even when doing so has historically meant persecution.

That’s why spaces like Antiwar.com matter. They’re continuing a proud American tradition of dissent that dates back to our founding. They remind us that true patriotism means holding your country accountable when it strays from its ideals.

A picture of my mom during
her time in the Navy.

As a Navy brat with both my mother and father having been Sailors, as well as being a Navy veteran myself, I am obviously not an anti-war voice. Even though I may not be an anti-war voice, that does not mean that those who are shouldn’t be able to voice their opinions on how our government reacts. I believe that sometimes war is necessary, but do I believe in all of the actions of our nation’s militaristic actions? No, but I do believe some things are necessary, and there are a lot of behind-the-scenes things taking place that we are not aware of.

So I’ll keep seeking out those quieter voices, remembering what my grandmother still teaches me today: just because a voice is marginalized doesn’t mean it isn’t speaking truth.

My mom, dad, older sister, granny, and uncle.