November 16, 2002:
Wearing nothing but afternoon rain, fifty determined women lay down on Love Field near Point Reyes Station, California to literally embody PEACE. They asked local photographer, Art Rogers, to record the event, which he did from atop an 18-foot ladder.
Women of all ages and walks of life took off their clothes not because they are exhibitionists but because they felt it was imperative to shock a seemingly indifferent nation and administration into breaking the vicious cycle of war.
Making their bodies figures of speech, they allied themselves with the "Unreasonable Women" group, whose credo is that reasonable behavior will not get their point across to the men of war.
"We have voted, we have held rallies and marches, with little effect. Now we have taken this bold step to convey our feelings of desperation over war. We had to spell it out for you," said Donna Sheehan, one of the organizers.
Her inspiration for the naked demonstration for peace was Helen Odeworitse, the leader of 600 Nigerian women who forced ChevronTexaco to address their needs earlier in 2002.
They took over an oil terminal, held 700 workers hostage, and humiliated the corporation by threatening to remove their clothes, a traditional shaming gesture.
"As Helen said, 'Our weapon is our nakedness,'" said Sheehan. "We hope to effect change as she did, without harming a soul."
©2002 Talking Leaves
Winter 2003
Volume 12, Number 4
Animals, Earth