As I write, International Women’s Day draws to a close. Women’s History Month has barely just begun.
Invisible Women
Historical Fiction is one of my favorite genres. I recently finished listening to Kristin Hannah’s new book, The Women … a story of military nurses in Viet Nam … women who suffered the same PTSD as the soldiers they treated and saved and, upon their return to the states, were ignored and invisible.
I was deeply moved by this well-researched story. And saddened that I had so little knowledge of the heroic service of these women … and angered by the lack of recognition for their sacrifice. Upon their return, these women heard over and over, “There were no women in Vietnam.” Even the VA ignored their pleas for help to deal with the emotional aftermath of war. And yet, they persisted.
From Kristin Hannah’s website:
“The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on the story of all women who put themselves in harm’s way to help others. Women whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has all too often been forgotten. A novel of searing insight and lyric beauty, The Women is a profoundly emotional, richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose extraordinary idealism and courage under fire define a generation.”
Kristin Hannah is also to be admired. She had wanted to write this story years ago. However, she knew she didn’t have the skill and maturity as a writer to do it justice. And so she persisted and waited until she did. It was worth the wait!
Inspiring Women
At the invitation of my friend, Ani, on Thursday, March 7, I joined a webinar, Her Voice, Our Future, held in honor of International Women’s Day. It was sponsored by American Friends of the Parent’s Circle – Family Forum and featured six courageous, heroic, and valiant women from Israel, Palestine, and Afghanistan.
The Parent’s Circle – Family Forum is a group of some 700 bereaved Israeli and Palestinian parents and family members who have lost loved ones in conflicts between their two nations over the years. Hoping to spare others the intense pain of bereavement, they join together to transform their grief into works for peace. Members of the Parent’s Circle have been featured in several news stories since the current war in that region broke out.
I have been in awe of The Parent’s Circle since I first learned of their work when one of the Israeli webinar speakers, Ayelet Harel, was interviewed on Amanpour & Company. In addition to Ayelet’s involvement in the Parent’s Circle, she is a member of Women Wage Peace. I was eager to join the webinar.
Words cannot begin to express the inspiration received from listening to the way these women transformed their horrific experiences of pain and loss into compassionate and wise service to a cause greater than themselves. These women rose above their circumstances and persisted in spite of the push back they received from family and friends who just couldn’t understand the level of consciousness to which they ascended.
Probably most poignant was Bushra Awad’s story of losing her oldest child in 2008, a son who was the light of her life. In just three years, she transformed the anger and hatred that dominated her grief. In 2011, she joined the Family Forum, emerging as a dialogue facilitator and Palestinian women’s group coordinator.
Huda Abuarquob has received many accolades for her tireless work in conflict transformation and peace building. With the horror of the current Israeli-Palestinian war, this Palestinian woman is a passionate advocate for including women in the negotiation process … “because women bring a different perspective.”
Zuhra Bahman joined us in the dark from Afghanistan. She had no electricity. Despite all the rights taken away from women and girls by the Taliban, Zuhra spoke poignant words of wisdom about her approach to keeping the peacebuilding space open through an organization she directs called Search for Common Ground.
You, too, can be inspired by these women who nevertheless persist. You can listen to their stories by watching the International Women’s Day webinar at this link:
Silenced Women
I was so moved by these women, I wanted to share the experience. On Thursday, March 7, after the webinar ended, I posted something like this on Facebook:
I just attended an inspiring International Women’s Day webinar with women peace builders from Israel, Palestine, and Afghanistan. Such courage and wisdom these women possess. Women need to be included in the negotiations for peace in the Middle East. We bring a different perspective.
Immediately a window popped up saying this post needed to be evaluated. As of this writing (Saturday, March 9), I am unable to post a message on my Facebook feed.
I am able to share posts from friends. But it appears that I join myriads of women throughout the ages who have been censored and their voice silenced.
At least, I’m not silenced here! Nevertheless, I persist!
Shocking that FB took your post down. Never silence your voice. You have too much powerful wisdom to share! I am grateful for this post, Linda, and bringing this aspect of women’s lives to my awareness. Bless you!!!!❤️
Glad you benefited from this post, Prema,
It was new to me about the military nurses serving in Viet Nam, too.
In case you are interested, Brene Brown is doing a series of interviews with Israeli and Palestinian members of the Parent’s Circle — Family Forum on her podcast, Unlocking Us. I listened to the first one and it is powerful. She’s hearing from people with skin in the game … they all lost family members to conflict in that area of the world and they work for peace. They advocate for a different political system that respects both.
I contacted a local journalist who writes a column for the DDN about Ohio Politics and told him my dilemma with Facebook and asked if he had any insights. He did some digging and found that any mention of Palestine gets blocked on Facebook. Interesting what they chose to block and what they let through.
Thanks so much for your comment.
THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE!!!! I AM LEFT WITH NO WORDS AND AN UNSETTLED SEARCHING SPIRIT!!!!
I contacted a local journalist who writes a column for the DDN about Ohio Politics and told him my dilemma and asked if he had any insights. He did some digging and found that any mention of Palestine gets blocked on Facebook. Interesting what they chose to block and what they let through.
Thank you for sharing this. My mom was a nurse in the Korean War. It wasn’t until the 90s that the military created a war memorial for women. It’s unbelievable that FB would censor your post. There doesn’t seem to be room for civil dialogue today. Very sad.
Sorry it has taken me so long to respond to your comment, Jen. And thanks for the addition of information about your mother and how long it took the military to honor women who served in war time.
I contacted a local journalist who writes a column for the DDN about Ohio Politics and told him my dilemma and asked if he had any insights. He did some digging and found that any mention of Palestine gets blocked on Facebook. Interesting what they chose to block and what they let through.