DAWN's story begins in the run-up to the Iraq war in the fall of 2002.
DAWN was founded on the belief that pre-emptive, unilateral war in Iraq was wrong. Many doubted claims that there were WMD in Iraq. Conventional wisdom was that weapons inspections should be allowed to continue while the policy of containment kept Saddam Hussein in check.
Peace advocates thought that by protesting or writing letters to our members of Congress we could stop the war.
When the Iraq war began officially in March 2003, we began the process to mobilize to register voters, and pollwatch to ensure fair and accurate elections.
To date more than 10,000 voters have been registered by DAWN Voter Advocates.
Our core members, many of whom have been with us since those first days, have seen some historic moments: an appearance on Oprah, thought-provoking film festivals, a " peace picnic" with Gold Star Mom Cindy Sheehan, even an historic change in Illinois Law. We recall proudly the many vigils and protests, each one drawing more and more participants.
DAWN has been recognized with awards such as the Kit Phau Voting Rights Award and a Citizens Initiative Award.
DAWN has evolved into DAWN Community Advocates. Let's continue to fight for what's right in this country, and work to change things for the better
