Women in Black

Women in Black (WiB) is a transnational network of feminist antimilitarist women working for peace with justice and struggling against militarism and violence. Through its silent vigils held on a regular basis in public places, WiB supporters protest against militarism, war, and violence in their black outfits.

WiB was founded by a group of women in Israel in 1987 after the breakout of the First Palestinian Intifada to protest Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories. Groups such as the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, an association of Argentinean mothers who protest the "disappearance" of their children during the military dictatorship between 1976 and 1983 (known as the “Dirty War”), and the Black Sash, a non-violent women's movement protesting against apartheid in South Africa, inspired the formation of WiB.

The first WiB vigil was held in Jerusalem, with consequent vigils taking place in more than 40 sites throughout Israel. The weekly vigils were held in public places, like bus stops or busy road intersections, where women carried placards saying “Stop the Occupation.” In a short time, the WiB vigils proliferated in 30 countries around the world on five different continents. Although the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remained a significant theme in the vigils, issues like nuclear weapons, racism, and violence against women were also a part of the agenda of local WiB groups.