By Ann Herrold
On March 8 over 70 people gathered in The Garage to listen to speakers present on the impact that war and genocide have on women and children for International Women’s Day. CODEPINK was joined by the Denver Justice and Peace Committee, Jewish Voices for Peace, Colorado for Palestine Club, Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center, and the Denver Peace Council, making this event a truly multi-organizational united community event.
The goal of the teach-in was to spotlight the impact that war has on women- in particular how it impairs their ability to provide safety, clean food and water, and shelter for their children. Women more often than not have to choose between formula (since they are malnourished and cannot breastfeed) or clean water. Often the choice is to forego the clean water-leading to disease and further malnourishment. The constant war also makes reproductive health, giving birth, and raising children a Herculean effort. Many women are forced to give birth without anesthesia (in particular when it comes to C-sections). The hope was that all of this awareness would lead to a focus on how our American tax dollars continue to fund genocide in Palestine.
Each of the four speakers at the teach-in brought their own unique and invaluable insight and expertise. Christi Yoder (founder and executive director of the Center for Genocide Research) opened the teach-in with an overview of what genocide is and how genocide has been unfolding in Palestine. Irina Karic provided moving insight from her own experience of growing up under genocide in Bosnia, as well as from her work as a humanitarian aid worker in Palestine and Jordan. Christine Sargent brought a feminist lens to the teach-in, illustrating how feminism is inherently anti-war. Dr. Deborah Young (a Fullbright scholar and founder of Empowering Communities Globally) highlighted the negative impact that war has on child development and the lasting impacts that has on society. Accumulatively the speakers called for an end to funding the Palestinian genocide as well as community action.
This event was the opening of the official CODEPINK Denver/Boulder chapter, adding to the rich history that the area has of supporting Palestine. The joining of multiple organizations highlighted the fact that justice is not achieved alone and that this is a community effort. Community is our strength. We are not alone in this fight, we are stronger together, and we can achieve great outcomes. FREE PALESTINE
For more information about Denver/Boulder CODEPINK, please contact Ryan at [email protected].
