April 21, 2003
Awakened Woman's Circle is working for peace
The mourning procession
by Stephanie Hiller
Good Friday arrived with a fresh spring breeze in
Sebastopol, California this year, fresh green growth
glistening from recent rains. The mood on the streets in
this liberal community was quietly ebullient. The Easter
bunny was on his way, and the war was over.
Nevertheless, while shoppers flowed in and out of Main Street shops and traffic throbbed at the traffic light, Women In Black in large numbers lined the four corners in the center of town during their regular hour-long vigil beginning at noon.
Half an hour later, a mourning processional arrived on Main Street.
Masked, dressed entirely black, their heads covered in tribute to their Iraqi sisters, a dozen women proceeded slowly to the beat of a drum. Four carried a small child-sized coffin. Three brought up the rear carrying a folded American flag. It was a powerful and dismal spectacle to behold.
Reactions from drivers varied from shock to sorrow.
One woman, forced to stop at the traffic light, lowered her face against her yellow purse so as not to have to see. Another stifled tears. One bowed her head over her hands and said, Thank you.
One man literally did a double-take as he rounded the corner, noticing, then turning to look again.
Funeral processions are not common in Sebastopol.
Young lads crossing the plaza muttered, Why are they wearing masks?
Also at the four corners stood a small contingent of flag bearers. Initiated by a "woman in white" who arrived months ago to "support our troops," the group of four included three men. One held a sign, Honk if you support our troops.
Lots of people honked. Mostly, in Sebastopol, folks honk for peace.
Two weeks ago there was a scuffle at that street corner. Today, there was only the banter of a flag bearer wearing a fine-looking cowboy hat. He ridiculed the women, calling them traitors and riff-raff.
No one responded during the silent vigil.
At the procession's conclusion, all the women in black as well as some passers-by joined the solemn processional through the Main Street and back down to the Plaza.
One dapper fellow, a bartender from the Union Hotel in Occidental, chose to accompany them, he said, just in case they were hassled.
Afterwards, the group gathered quietly to take off their masks. After the closing circle with Women In Black, many went on to Santa Rosa to repeat their processional through the downtown of the county seat.
Susan Lamont, said she had worn her mask that morning to a demonstration at Livermore Laboratory.
Asked how they felt doing this action, Ani Chandro Naegler said it was good to feel connected with the reality of what had happened.
Said Elaine Holtz, "When I held the flag, I couldn't help it, I cried. Because my family came to this country and we were so grateful. The flag means a lot to me. But this is not what the flag stands for, what we see happening today."
The processional by the unlabelled women's group was initiated by Corlene van Sluize, an artist who had been inspired by a similar demonstration at one of the peace marches. "It was so powerful," she said. She offered her studio for two evenings of mask making and sewing. The masks were made with plaster-cast strips and later painted, faces of grief as somber as death itself.
On Sunday, April 27th, the same women will hold the processional at the churches in the Montgomery shopping area in Santa Rosa.
