A stunning and immersive look at the cost of opposing Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Boys Who Said No! airs Monday, May 12 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI app.
During the Vietnam War, American men were required to carry their draft card at all times, and a refusal to participate when called up would land you in prison. The seeds of resistance would begin to grow when one man stood up and publicly burned his draft card in protest against the war. By the war’s end, thousands were imprisoned for refusing to fight.
The film features original interviews with activists and historians of the movement, including folk singer Joan Baez, journalist and activist David Harris, and Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg. From the support of Martin Luther King, Jr. when Muhammad Ali refused induction into the U.S. Armed Forces, to the countless demonstrations and marches from resistors whose names have been almost lost to history – these actions together built a movement of principled and powerful nonviolent resistance to America’s most problematic war, that have become a touchpoint for subsequent movements around social justice and peace today.
Through dynamic archival footage and compelling interviews, this film is the first documentary to profile the youth-led movement of nonviolent civil disobedience against the Vietnam War, a critical part of the antiwar movement that eventually forced an end to both the war and draft conscription
Photo: Young men and women protesting • Photo provided by APT