Women in Black, an International Network of Women Opposed to War and Militarism

In the aftermath of the terrible attack on New York and Washington on September 11, we urgently call on all those with responsibility and authority, in our national governments and international institutions, to step back from war. We mourn the dead and feel deep sympathy with the bereaved and injured. Those who perpetrated the violence must be brought to justice under international law.

But we strongly believe the urge to vengeance must be resisted. A war waged by the US and its allies will cause the death of many innocent people, will de-stabilize many governments and societies, and its longterm effects on relations between countries and regions of the world will be disastrous. Terrorism cannot be defeated by such means. We have to ask why so many people around the world have felt mixed feelings in response to the suffering of the USA. While poverty and hunger, injustice and exploitation, are experienced by so many, and the policies of the super-powers are seen as contributing to them, genuine despair will sometimes turn to desperation, and will fuel terrorism.

We urge all political and military authorities, national and international, to turn away from strategies of war and combine their efforts in seeking strategies for an inclusive, just and equal global society. Without that, we will never see peace.

Please join us for weekly silent vigils in front of the New York Public Library, 5th Avenue at 41st St to remember those lost to terrorism in the last week.

WOMEN IN BLACK

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 to mourn for all victims of war, to mourn 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 Israelžs Occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Women in Black has developed in the Italy, Spain, United States, England, Azerbaijan and in FR Yugoslavia, where women in Belgrade have stood in weekly vigils since 1991 to protest war and the Serbian regimežs 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.

For information, please visit our website at http://balkansnet.org/women
Tel: Indira at 212 560-0905.
E-mail: 074182@newschool.edu to get on our mailing list.
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.
See also http://wib.matriz.net.