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April 15, 2003
I have another entry planned, and I still plan to post it later this week or next. I have hesitated to say anything about the war, but today I want to provide some information about an international movement called Women in Black. A branch began in my town earlier this spring. We hold weekly silent vigils in remembrance of ALL of the victims of war. It is an anti-war group, but it's much bigger than any particular war, conflict, or nation--which is why I feel it is so important. In the rest of this entry I want to quote the New York and London branches of WIB and give links to their websites. I feel that their words are very powerful, much more so than my own... so here they are.
"Women In Black New York stand in silent vigil to protest war, rape as a tool of war, ethnic cleansing and human rights abuses all over the world. We are silent because mere words cannot express the tragedy that wars and hatred bring. ...
"Our silence is visible. We invite women to stand with us, reflect about themselves and women who have been raped, tortured or killed in concentration camps, women who have disappeared, whose loved ones have disappeared or have been killed, whose homes have been demolished. We wear black as a symbol of sorrow for all victims of war, for the destruction of people, nature and the fabric of life.
"Women in Black is an international peace network. Women in Black is not an organization, but a means of mobilization and a formula for action. Women in Black vigils were started in Israel in 1988 by women protesting against Israel’s Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Women in Black has developed in countries such as Italy, Spain, Germany, England, Azerbaijan, Colombia, and in FR Yugoslavia, where women in Belgrade have stood in weekly vigils since 1991 to protest war and the Serbian regime’s policies of nationalist aggression. Women in Black groups have formed in many cities in the United States since September 11th. Women in Black New York have been holding vigils in solidarity with our sisters throughout the world since 1993."
http://www.womeninblack.net/mission.html
"Women in Black is a loose network of women world-wide committed to peace with justice and actively opposed to war and other forms of violence. ...
"Women in Black demonstrations ... are always women only, and usually take the form of women wearing black, standing in a public place in silent, non-violent vigils at regular times and intervals.
"A worldwide movement ... It is impossible to know how many women there are who identify with Women in Black, how many groups or mailing lists exist, or how many actions have been held. Certainly it has become a worldwide movement. Women in Black conferences and encounters have been held in Jerusalem in 1994, and in Novi Sad (Yugoslavia) each August since 1994. A WIB vigil was held in Beijing at the time of the 1995 UN Conference on Women. And there was an exhibition in 1996 in New York of photos of WIB actions around the world.
"Why women? Women-only peace activism does not suggest that women, any more than men, are 'natural born peacemakers'. But women have a particular experience of life, being disproportionately involved in caring work. Women are often at the receiving end of gendered violence in both peace and war, and women are the majority of refugees. A feminist view sees masculine cultures as specially prone to violence, and so feminist women tend to have a particular perspective on security and something unique to say about war.
"In mixed actions of men and women, women's voices are often drowned out. When we act alone two things are different. First, women's voice is really heard and that's important even when we're saying the same things as male peace activists. Secondly, sometimes even peace demonstrations get violent, and as women alone we can choose forms of action we feel comfortable with - non-violent and expressive.
"What can WIB achieve? Demonstrating together can give us a sense of solidarity and purpose as women. We can encourage and lend support to other women around the world who are often closer to the violence. And we can educate, inform and influence public opinion to try and make war an unthinkable option."
http://www.chorley2.demon.co.uk/wib.html
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