David Harris, a prominent antiwar activist and writer known for his steadfast refusal of conscription during the Vietnam War, passed away on February 6 at his home in Mill Valley, California. He was 76. His daughter, Sophie Harris, confirmed that the cause of death was lung cancer.
Harris’s journey from a politically conservative upbringing in California to becoming a symbol of draft resistance during the tumultuous Vietnam era is a testament to the power of personal transformation and activism.
Born on February 28, 1946, in Fresno, California, David Victor Harris initially had ambitions of pursuing a career in the military or the FBI. Raised in a place where radicalism was scarce, his life took a different turn during his sophomore year at Stanford University when he joined the “freedom riders” traveling to the Deep South in 1964 to help register Black voters. This experience profoundly impacted his perspective on America and its social issues.
“I didn’t look at America in the same way after that,” Harris would later recall.
Inspired by civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., philosophers like Hannah Arendt, and figures like Mahatma Gandhi, whom he considered his “personal hero,” Harris began his journey as an activist. He participated in his first antiwar protest in March 1965, marking a significant shift in his life.
During his senior year at Stanford, Harris was elected student body president, but his vocal antiwar stance led to national headlines when pro-war students forcibly shaved his head.
One of the pivotal moments in Harris’s activism came when he urged future U.S. Senator Mitt Romney, then a dorm resident, to join the antiwar movement, although Romney remained unmoved.
In 1968, David Harris and folk singer Joan Baez, who was a prominent figure in her own right, got married. Baez had helped launch the career of Bob Dylan and was featured on the cover of Time magazine in 1962. The couple embarked on a roadshow to protest the Vietnam War, spreading their message through speeches and performances.
David Harris became known for his passionate oratory against the war and his calls for mass civil disobedience. He urged young men facing the draft to refuse to register with the Selective Service or return their draft cards, believing that defiance at home was a more potent statement than fleeing to avoid service.
This call to action resonated with many, leading to a wave of protests where draft cards were burned, and conscription was rejected by tens of thousands of people. Muhammad Ali’s publicized refusal to be drafted in 1967 became one of the most prominent symbols of resistance.
However, unlike some who sought refuge in other countries, David Harris faced the draft head-on when he was drafted in 1968. He refused to report for induction and was quickly indicted. In 1969, after marrying Joan Baez, he deliberately rejected options to avoid conviction, fearing that it would damage his credibility.
“I know that this case should be thrown out, but I’m not going to do that,” he declared during his court trial.
His refusal to back down resulted in a three-year prison sentence, an unusually harsh punishment. During the Vietnam War, the Selective Service referred 184,135 men to the Justice Department for prosecution. Of those, 8,756 were convicted, and 4,001 were imprisoned.
David Harris served his sentence at the federal prison in La Tuna, Texas, where he spent a total of four months in solitary confinement for organizing inmate protests for better conditions. Joan Baez wrote “A Song for David” in 1970 while he was incarcerated.
Upon his release on parole in 1971, David Harris emerged a changed person. He continued his antiwar activism, but his passion seemed to wane. He and Joan Baez divorced in 1973.
In the years that followed, Harris transitioned into a writing career, contributing articles to Rolling Stone magazine and The New York Times. He authored books on various topics, from the National Football League to California’s Redwood forests, to the 1980 killing of peace activist and former New York congressman Allard Lowenstein. In 1976, he ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat against Rep. Pete McCloskey (R-California).
His memoir, “I Shoulda Been Home Yesterday” (1976), recounted his time in prison, and “Our War: What We Did in Vietnam and What It Did to Us” (1996) reflected on the enduring divisions of the 1960s.
David Harris’s life and activism serve as a testament to the power of an individual’s commitment to their principles. His legacy, forever intertwined with the antiwar movement of the Vietnam era, reminds us of the sacrifices made in the pursuit of justice and peace.