Diverse women work for peace, in GH and all over the world

Lois Hartwig

Special to the Gateway

In 1988, a group of Palestinian and Israeli women organized vigils in Jerusalem to protest Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. They wore black as a sign of grief for victims of war and violence and to demand an end to policies of hatred and terrorism.

On March 8, 1991, Women in Black Belgrade received the Millennium Peace Prize for Women offered by International Alert, a global women’s awareness program, and the United Nations.

Women in Black has been nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize. There are now Women in Black groups in cities all over the United States and 37 other countries, 185 in all.

I belong to the Women in Black group in Gig Harbor, and for the past six years, we have been gathering at the same corner from 5 to 6 p.m. every Friday afternoon. We wear black, and our banner proclaims “Women in Black — Pease — Justice — Human rights.”

We are a diverse group (about 25) in religious beliefs, opinion, ethnicity and age, brought together by our desire for social change and non-violent solutions to conflict.

A couple years ago, some of our group attended the World Peace Forum in Vancouver, B.C. There were various peace groups from all over the world, in addition to many Women in Black representatives from other countries.

I was privileged to meet and talk with one of the Israeli women who helped organize Women in Black in 1988. It was a great thrill for her to see how the movement has spread.

After our afternoon forum, we stood vigil outside the library in Vancouver — women from all over the world, standing for peace. It was a very gratifying moment.

When women come together for a purpose, they can affect change in the world.

Guest opinion

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Lois Hartwig lives in Gig Harbor. She can be reached by e-mail at htwgrl@msn.com.