Washington Week . Student Voices

Women in Black draws attention to violence, war across globe
By Kym Parsons
Daily Titan (California State U. - Fullerton)
11/11/2004

(U-WIRE) FULLERTON, Calif. — Dressed in black and standing in silence, women and a few men gathered Wednesday afternoon to mourn for lives broken and lives lost through violence in the United States, Afghanistan, Palestine and throughout the world.

The peaceful gathering, which was scheduled to take place in the middle of the Quad, was moved outside of the Humanities Building due to the disruption surrounding an unscheduled antiabortion protest.

Despite the initial interruption of the Women in Black event, participants eventually got their points across by standing silently, sparking the curiosity of passing people.

Many students stopped to pick up fliers and a few joined in the cause.

Organized by members of the Third Wave Club, a feminist group on campus, Women in Black is a worldwide network of women committed to peace, who are actively opposed to injustice, war, militarism and other forms of violence.

"We're called Third Wave, symbolizing the third wave (present times) of feminism," said Brateil Aghasi, the club's president. "We promote women's issues locally and globally by raising awareness and the consciousness on campus about women's issues."

Mitchell Pautz, a staff member on campus, said he has taken part of Women in Black events for several years now and believes it to be a significant cause.

"It is important to acknowledge the amount of suffering that goes on and the amount of discrimination that takes place in these countries," Pautz said. "This kind of event is always relevant because in places like Iraq, the roles that women play in society still hasn't changed."

Aghasi said Women in Black originally began from issues surrounding women in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"It is a silent protest to promote peace and mourn the lives of the innocent victims of war," she said. "It just branched out [to be] a national event which people, men and women do to bring attention to the injustices that are not spotlighted on during wars and violent situations."

Reuben Rivas, president of the American Civil Liberties Union chapter on campus, said he wanted to be a part of the event because civil rights apply to every man and woman on campus.

"It is important to show support on campus and to bring awareness to women whose rights are being infringed upon, both mentally and physically," he said.

Alice Chow, a junior women studies major, said she heard about Women in Black through one of her classes and decided that she wanted to be part of the cause.

"It's important to bring awareness to these kinds of issues and to educated yourself and others of the things that go on in this country," Chow said.

Currently, there are situations around the world in which the innocent casualties of the violence are women, Aghasi said.

"For example, in Sudan right now people are being culturally exterminated," she said. "This leaves women and children to make up 90 percent of the individuals in the refugee camps."

She added that "in Mexico, the women of Juarez are randomly being killed and kidnapped and nothing is truly being done except by activists."

Aghasi said she wanted people stop and ask themselves if they truly believe that women in Iraq and in the Middle East are safer because of the war.

"This event is just to stop and truly reflect about the effects of war and their outcomes," she said.

"Women in Black questions the validity of war as a peace-making option. We stand for justice, we stand for peace," Aghasi said.

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