The international movement of Women in Black began in Jerusalem in January 1988, one month after the first Palestinian intifada broke out, with a small group of Israeli women who carried out a simple form of protest:  Once a week at the same hour and in the same location – a major traffic intersection – they donned black clothing and raised a black sign in the shape of a hand with white lettering that read “Stop the Occupation”.

The idea spread quickly and spontaneously to other places in Israel.  It was a simple form of protest that women could do easily.  We didn’t have to get to the big city, we could bring our children, there was no chanting or marching, and the medium was the message.  Within months, vigils sprang up throughout Israel.

Several months after the first Women in Black vigil in Israel, "solidarity vigils" began in other countries: Initial reports came from the United States and Canada, and these later spread to Europe and Australia.  Some vigils were primarily Jewish, while in other cities, the groups were mixed Jewish and Palestinian.
 

Women in Black Groups Form Worldwide

Around 1990, Women in Black vigils took off with a life of their own.  They formed in many countries, and many of these had nothing to do with the Israeli occupation.  In Italy, Women in Black protest a range of issues, from the Israeli occupation to the violence of the Mafia and other organized crime.  In Germany, Women in Black have protested neo-Nazism, racism against migrant workers, and nuclear arms.  Women in Black in Belgrade and Zagreb set a profound example of interethnic cooperation that was an inspiration to their countrywomen and men.  And, in India, Women in Black hold vigils that call for an end to the ill treatment of women by religious fundamentalists.

Women in Black has become a movement of women of conscience of all denominations and nationalities who hold vigils to protest violence in their part of the world: war, interethnic conflict, militarism, the arms industry, racism, neo-Nazism, violence against women, violence in the neighborhoods, etc. Each vigil is autonomous, setting its own policy and guidelines, though in all the vigils the women dress in black, symbolizing the tragedy of the victims of violence.  What unites us all is our commitment to justice and a world free of violence.

In 1991, the movement of Women in Black in Israel won the Aachen Peace Prize and, in 1994, the peace award of the city of San Giovanni d'Asso in Italy.  In 2001, the international movement of Women in Black was awarded the Millennium Peace Prize for Women, given by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).