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“Women
in Black” was inspired by earlier movements of women who demonstrated
on the streets, making a public space for women to be heard - particularly
Black Sash in South Africa, and the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo,
seeking the ‘disappeared’ in the political repression in Argentina.
But WIB also shares a genealogy with groups of women explicitly
refusing violence, militarism and war, such as the Women’s International
League for Peace and Freedom formed in 1918, and the Greenham Common
Women’s Peace Camp in the UK and related groups around the world
opposing the deployment of US missiles in the eighties..."
For
more information and a list of contacts around the world:
http://www.womeninblack.org/index.html
http://www.womeninblack.org/index.html
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Who are
the Women in Black?
Women in Black
is an international network of women committed to peace with justice
and actively opposed to war and other forms of violence. Women
in Black demonstrations are usually women only‚ and take the form
of women wearing black‚ standing in a public place in silent‚
non-violent vigils at regular times and intervals.
What can Women in Black achieve? Standing 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 so try and make war an unthinkable option.
http://www.womeninblackoz.com/whatiswib.htm
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A Short
History of Women in Black:
In January
1988, one month after the first Palestinian Intifada broke out,
a small group of Israeli and Palestinian women stood once a week,
at the same hour and at the same location - a major traffic intersection
in Israel. They were dressed in black and held up a black sign
in the shape of a hand with "Stop the Occupation" written in white.'It
was a simple form of protest that women could do easily... We
could bring our children, there was no chanting or marching, and
the medium was the message. Within months vigils sprang up throughout
Israel'
----Bat Shalom
- Israeli women's peace organisation
http://www.womeninblack.org.uk/History.htm
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Women In
Black on the web
See what Women in Black are doing in New York City:
http://www.womeninblack.net/
"Women in Black Frederick, Maryland, is pleased to
announce that our website it officially launched."
See: www.wibfrederick.org.
(photo
at right is from their opening page)
..."We are a world-wide network of women. Women gathered,
supporting each other as we advocate for peace and justice. We
invite you to stand with us. Please wear black.
Frederick Vigils: First Friday of each month:12- 12:30 p.m. War
Memorial Park, 2nd & N. Bentz Streets, Frederick Third Wednesday
of each month: 6:30 – 7 p.m. Intersection of Patrick and Market
Streets, Frederick
Both men & women are welcome to vigils; signs will be provided"
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and
in Farmington,
Maine
"Women in Black is part of an international network of women
calling for peace, justice and non-violent solutions to conflict.
Begun in 1988 by Israeli and Palestinian women in reponse to the
first Intifada, it has spread to conflict areas all over the world.
Each group is autonomous, related to the others by the way women
stand in silent vigil dressed in black.
Since January, 2002 we have been holding a vigil each Friday from
12:00-12:30 in front of the post office on Main St., a site of political
protest for the last twenty years. In addition to the regular weekly
vigil, we also commemorate Veterans Day with ceremonies recognizing
all the war dead and participate in other civic actions." |
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In Belgium: Women
in Black Leuven was born in 1994, and commenced with weekly silent
vigils in solidarity with the women of Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia. These
vigils continued until the Dayton agreements in 1995. In 1999 during the
second war in the Balkan and till the agreements of June 6 and the end
of the war, we came back in the streets of Leuven with our weekly silent
vigils...
...in the UK:
http://www.womeninblack.org.uk/
and in Australia:
http://www.womeninblackoz.com/
notowar
Cynthia Cockburn's extensive writings resulting from her research
on WIB, as well as those of WIB from around the world, are on
her weblog, notowar.
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Website
Links to groups active in peace in Palestine/Israel
f rom Women in Black, Vienna, Austria
contact: Womeninblack-vienna@gmx.at
www.womeninblack.org - Women
in Black International
www.newprofile.org - Movement
for the Civil-ization of Israeli Society
www.batshalom.org - Bat Shalom
(Israeli women’s peace group)
www.gush-shalom.org - Gush Shalom (Israeli
Peace Block)
www.btselem.org - B’tselem (Israeli
human rights organization)
www.machsomwatch.org - Women
for Human Rights – Checkpoint Watch
www.hamoked.org - Center for the
Defense of the Individual
www.rhr.israel.net - Rabbis for Human Rights
www.peacenow.org - Peace Now
Israel
www.yesh-gvul.org - “There is
a limit“ (Appeal to soldiers, not to serve in the occupied territories)
www.seruv.org.il - “Courage to
Refuse” – Signature campaign in support of soldiers refusing to serve
in the occupied territories
www.refuz.org.il - Petition in
support of sentenced Conscientious Objectors
www.alternativenews.org - Alternative
Information Centre („News from Within“) (Progressive magazine)
www.indymedia.org.il - Independent
Media Centre
www.phr.org.il - Physicians for Human Rights
www.rebuildinghomes.org
- Global campaign to rebuild homes in Palestine
www.icahd.org - Israeli Committee
Against House Demolitions
www.taayush.org - Arab-Jewish
Partnership
www.ariga.com - Israeli-Palestinian
Human Rights and Peace Groups
www.palestinemonitor.org - The Voice
of Civil Society
www.stopthewall.org - Pengon’s
website on the Wall
www.miftah.org - The Palestinian
Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy
www.tmfm.net - Nablus website – regularly
updated
www.rafah.vze.com - Rafah website
www.arij.org - Applied Research Institute,
Jerusalem
www.infopal.org - Independent
Palestinian Information Network
www.imemc.org - International Middle
East News website
www.ramallahonline.com
- (articles by Israeli and Palestinian journalists and intellectuals
in English
www.pchrgaza.org – Palestinian
Centre for Human Rights, Gaza
www.pmwatch.org - Palestine Media Watch
www.nad-plo.org - Palestinian
Peace Negotiations Site (Landkarten von Siedlungen u.a.)
www.passia.org - Palestinian Academic Society
for the Study of International Affairs, Jerusalem
www.phrmg.org - Palestinian Human
Rights Monitoring Group
www.birzeit.edu- Birzeit University
www.alhaq.org - Palestinian NGO
in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United
Nations
www.electronicintifada.net
- Updated information on the Intifada and action alert possibilities
www.badil.org - Badil Resource Centre
(with emphasis on Refugees, Right of Return)
www.mideastweb.org
www.pij.org - Palestine/Israel Journal
www.cpt.org - Christian Peacemaker
Team Hebron
www.rapprochement.org - The Palestinian
Center for Rapprochement between People, Beit Sahour
www.palsolidarity.org -
International Solidarity Movement
http://www.adalah.org/eng/index.php
- Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel http://www.adalah.org/eng/index.php
http://www.addameer.org/index_eng.html
- Prisoner Rights and Human Rights Association
www.womenspeacepalestine.org
- International Women’s Peace Service – reports on human rights violations
and on life under occupation in the Salfit district (near Nablus)
www.fmep.org - Foundation for Middle
East Peace
www.mepc.org - Middle East Policy
Council
www.amnesty.org - Amnesty International
www.hrw.org - Human Rights Watch
www.freemedia.at - International
Press Institute, Vienna
www.ejjp.org - European Jews for
a Just Peace
www.endtheoccupation.org
- U.S. initiative to End the Israeli Occupation
www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org
- U.S. initiative for a just peace
www.thestruggle.org - Middle
East Crisis Committee, USA
www.jppi.org - Jews for Peace in
Palestine and Israel
www.btvshalom.org - Brit Tsedek
V’Shalom: Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace
www.jewishfriendspalestine.org
- Jewish activists for a free Palestine
www.middleeastdaily.com
www.ifamericansknew.org
- U.S. website giving information on the occupation, Intifada, etc.
Women
in Black Archive
2001 - 2003
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