The National Organization for Women (NOW) and CodePink held Women for Peace Day yesterday, drawing attention to the strong presence of women in the peace movement. The event was part of Camp Democracy, a month-long camp set up on the National Mall in Washington, DC to promote peace and nonviolence. Women for Peace Day featured discussions on how to bring troops home from Iraq peacefully, candidates who want to send troops home from Iraq, and an update on violence against women in Juarez. “The violence in Iraq has already cost too many lives,” said NOW President Kim Gandy. “Service members and civilians are dying every day in a conflict initiated by George W. Bush. Women must now come together and work toward ending the violence — a goal that the US government seems incapable of accomplishing.” Olga Vives, executive vice president of NOW, said that, because of the war, many programs for children and women have received a reduced amount of governmental funding or have been completely eliminated. Speakers also emphasized the importance of the November elections, encouraging observers to volunteer at election sites to help ensure all votes are properly processed. Mary Anne Wright, a retired army colonel, said, “If we don’t watch what happens in November, we can kiss American democracy goodbye.” More information on Camp Democracy and the rest of this month’s programming is available here.
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