Our Mission
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. We refuse to add to the cacophony of empty
statements that are spoken with the best intentions yet may be erased
or go unheard under the sound of a passing ambulance or a bomb exploding
nearby.
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.
Background
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 the United States, England,
Italy, Spain, Azerbaijan 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 New York
have been standing in solidarity with the women of Belgrade since 1993.
We stand in silent vigil in front of the New York Public Library
at 5th Avenue and 41st Street every Wednesday from 5:30 – 6:30.
Come join us.
Donations
may be sent to P.O. Box 20554, New York, NY 10021, and should be made
payable to RACCOON, Inc., with WIB in the memo line.
For information, please call Indira at 212 560-0905. E-mail
074182@newschool.edu to get on our
mailing list. See also http://wib.matriz.net.
The artwork on our home page is 3 Women
in Black, an art project by Duston
Spear that has been involved in various performances and exhibitions
throughout the States.
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