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Thousands of people attended the march in Washington, D.C., to defend the use of affirmative action in higher education. The University of Michigan case, currently before the Supreme Court, has attracted national attention. [Geoff Robinson/The Daily P

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- An estimated 60,000 people, including hundreds of Penn students and alumni, buttoned coats, packed lunches and took to the streets to rally in favor of affirmative action.

The protest -- coordinated by the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action and Integration and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) -- attracted a mix of seasoned activists, idealistic youth and at least one entrepreneurial doughnut salesman.

Glancing over his shoulder as a cry of "Fresh doughnuts! They're affirmatively delicious!" rose behind him, Daniel Liverman prepared himself for the march.

"I know I come in peace," said Liverman, a Wayne State University freshman, as he waited in a block-long line to buy a Metro ticket, worrying that police might "come out swinging."

"I expect it to be peaceful because everyone has a common goal," said College freshman Chidinma Nwakanma, who attended the rally with her roommate from Dubois College House.

With the University of Michigan cases, Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger before the Supreme Court, the future of higher education affirmative action programs in the United States is currently hanging in balance.

And in response, thousands of protesters clogged the Stadium-Armory Metro stop at 9 a.m. as they headed from Robert F. Kennedy Stadium, where busloads of protesters were first dropped off, to the Supreme Court.

Despite the massive number of protesters, organizers reported no significant incidents yesterday.

"There was no problem," said John Riehl, president of the American Federation State County Municipal Employees Local 207. "People got wet and cold, but it was remarkably uneventful."

A series of speakers attempted to keep the crowd's spirits up, addressing the mass of people from the steps of the court. Their public address system, however, didn't match their passion.

"We got up toward the front, and the sound system was crappy," first-year Law student Loren Stewart said. "I could just barely hear."

But garbled as the speeches may have been, worries that the fundamental message of the rally would be buried under anti-war concerns proved to be groundless.

"I was afraid it was going to lose steam because of the emphasis on the war," School of Social Work graduate student Grace Paschall said.

Anti-war activism, however, was kept to a minimum as chants, signs and speeches focused almost exclusively on issues appropriate to the Michigan cases.

Dressed in a woodland camouflage jacket and sporting a turkey-hunting cap, one man explained the crowd's mission uniquely -- "We're going hunting for Clarence Thomas," he said, singling out one of the court's more conservative justices. "He's the biggest turkey in town."

Two women did march in U.S. Army fatigues, but their wardrobe choice was on topic.

"We're in a war," United Steelworkers member Doriscine Wesley said. "A war to save affirmative action."

A crowd of law professors, caps, gowns and all, made a similar fashion statement.

"I'm a firm believer that even if justices think they are deciding a case based strictly on the law, they are certainly influenced by public opinion," Penn Law alumna and Touro Law School professor Marjorie Silver said, explaining her attendance with the Society of American Law Teachers.

After 11 a.m., with talk no longer an option given the faulty sound system, organizers felt it best to allow participants to march ahead of schedule before boredom and foul weather eroded their morale.

"I feel like people are ready to march, and we're going to oblige" them, BAMN organizer and University of Michigan student Agnes Aleobua said, explaining why efforts to organize people into marching order began three hours early.

From young to old, laborers to lawyers, East Coast to West Coast and all the points in between, the makeup of the crowd was diverse -- except when it came to race.

"The majority of the crowd was African American," Engineering senior Julia Lee said. As the chairwoman of the Asian Pacific Student Coalition, Lee was disappointed with the paucity of Asian Americans at the rally.

Others found educational value in the makeup of the crowd.

"I'm definitely in the minority... I feel a little bit uncomfortable," Paschall admitted, adding that it helped her to understand "how people of color feel."

"I think that African American students have really outdone themselves organizing, especially at the high school level," union leader Kay Nowaczok said, noting that she felt the racial makeup of the crowd was "a matter of organization, not concern" for the issue.

Protesters, stopping for traffic lights and dutifully obeying the Capitol and Metro police officers guiding their progress, marched from the steps of the court to the Lincoln Memorial.

The crowd retained its enthusiasm straight through to the end.

A self-professed "protest veteran," Dawn Jackson came to D.C. from Michigan with her 8-year-old daughter in tow.

Emphasizing the size and controversial nature of the protest, Jackson considered the overnight bus trip worth the hassle.

"I don't know that I've been to one that's so important."

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