[Peace] CU Women Bare Witness For Peace

[Margaret E. Kosal]

MIDWEST WOMEN LIE NAKED IN THE SNOW FOR PEACE

Champaign-Urbana, IL - 26 January 2003 - A group of women from central 
Illinois felt compelled to use the shock of their naked bodies to send a 
message to the world that the women of America's heartland oppose a US-led 
war against Iraq. Rather than staying warm at home, they went out into 
below-freezing temperatures to be vulnerable for peace. Lying on a freshly 
snow-covered ground with sub-zero wind chills, they linked together to form 
the word "PEACE."

This photo marks the 9th photo contribution in a spontaneous series that 
began as a pro-peace demonstration staged on November 12th by a Baring 
Witness group from Marin County California. On that first action, 46 women 
posed naked in the word "PEACE"; a second event grew to 96 women in late 
December and was accompanied by a concurrent group of 24 men who also 
staged a pro-peace protest by forming a peace symbol with their naked bodies.

This startling form of protest has inspired people all over the world to 
stage similar protests against war. From Salt Lake City, Utah to McCurdo 
Station, Antarctica and from Gainesville, Florida to East Sussex, England - 
the international spelling bee is spelling out the pro-peace message with 
their bodies.

PEACE - it's such a simple word, but it has so many connotations in the 
current political climate. "You're either with us or against us" has become 
national rhetoric, and so, it takes a certain amount of courage to speak 
out against war these days. For a group of middle-American scientists, 
teachers, home-makers, librarians, journalists, entrepreneurs, mothers and 
students ranging in age from 20-62 to act out publicly, stripped of 
clothing in the winter cold takes even more courage.

Photo available online at www.ucimc.org/newswire/display/9041/index.php
More information on Baring Witness available at www.baringwitness.org.

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