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Peace Takes Courage is a project by Ava Lowery, a 15-year-old student and peace activist from Alabama. In mid-March 2005, she created her first animation. Since then she has made over 70 animations, many of them about the war in Iraq. This week PDA got a chance to chat with Ava, whose powerful photo animation "WWJD?" on her web page has been stirring up some controversy.
PDA: Ever since Cindy Sheehan's article about you and your work appeared recently in several online publications, lots of people all over the world are hearing about you. What’s that been like for you?
Ava: It's been a lot busier around here, but in a good way. I've received hundreds of supportive emails from people around the world. At least half of the support mail I’ve gotten is from soldiers or their families, and it really meant a lot to me that they would take the time to write to me. The only thing that has been difficult about it is the hate mail that is still coming in.
PDA: You refer on your website to your work as "animations." Can you describe for our readers what these pieces are? (Most people probably think of animations as cartoons).
Ava: Well they aren't cartoons or anything like that. They are slide show presentations. I just use photos and quotes and music and put together something that shows the effects of the war. I use animation software to make them.
PDA: How did you get interested in this type of work? Was anyone or anything in particular a big influence or inspiration in your work?
Ava: I first got interested in this type of work in March of 2005. The biggest influence on my work was not anyone, it was the situation in Iraq. I kept hearing Bush say that Saddam had WMDs and Saddam was connected to Al Qaeda, but we never saw evidence of this, and as it turns out he lied to us all. Meanwhile, while he was busy selling us lies, soldiers and civilians were dying every day. The fact that he is a proven liar yet we are still in the war he led us into angers me and I decided to turn that anger in something productive.
PDA: Can you tell us something about what school is like for you?
Ava: Well, I home-school. I started home-schooling the middle of my 7th grade year because the school systems here have gotten really bad. I love home schooling because I get to move at my own pace and I'm able to move ahead as far as I want. I would be in the 9th grade right now if I were still in the public schools here, but I'm studying on a 10th grade level.
PDA: Any ideas yet about what you'd like to do after high school-- is college in your plans?
Ava: I'm definitely going to go to college. I'd love to go to film school since I love film so much.
PDA: People often expect kids your age to be more interested in sports and social life and hanging out-- or at least not quite so interested in these very serious matters of war and politics. What explains your interest?
Ava: I'm not exactly sure. I guess I just have different interests from other kids my age. I do like to hang out, but I love to talk about politics and current events and that's not usually what other kids my age want to talk about. I remember checking out books in the 6th grade about FDR and the New Deal while everyone else was picking out book from the kids’ fiction section. I've always just been different, but I like it.
PDA: Would you like to see more kids involved in serious discussion about politics, and what would be your advice to other kids who would like to find constructive and meaningful ways to become part of the political dialogue?
Ava: I'd love to see more kids involved in politics and current events, because it's our future that is at stake. My advice to other kids would be to just speak your mind and don't be afraid to do it. You may be called names sometimes or you may stand out from everyone else, but don't let that scare you away from what you are doing. Just keep on doing what you are doing and be proud of it.
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