Feminist Peace Network

Marguerite Guzman Bouvard, has put together a marvelous account of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo, As she explains,

“What set the Mothers apart from other dissident groups was their bravery, their audacity and the manner in which they outwitted the junta at a time when many people sought refuge from their fear in the belief that if one remained quiet and focused one’s attention on personal matters, nothing would happen.

Because so many journalists were disappeared, the only people who dared to publicly protest were the Mothers. In so doing, they risked their lives; indeed, their first leader and two other Mothers were disappeared and killed.”

Even though the circumstances have changed, the Mothers continue today,

“Today, the Mothers are in late 70s and 80s. Many of them struggle with poverty and ill health. Although their numbers have dwindled, they continue to be active and to speak out. They march with their children and grandchildren, many of whom are children of the disappeared. The Mothers continue fighting for their cause and for a more just and egalitarian society. They have established a university to train people in human rights and they have also created a number of centers in slum areas to teach and support adolescent children at risk.

But the Mothers have set a new standard for human rights work. They refuse to align themselves with a political party. They identify themselves as a collective, claiming that they have socialized maternity, meaning the disappeared child of one is the child of all of the Mothers.

As one Mother recently explained, “We have to think of the children whose parents also disappeared and have nobody to work on their behalf.” Therefore, they continue marching in the Plaza with their white shawls, but their shawls do not bear the name of their disappeared children.

They have left an important legacy, transforming political style by speaking truth to power and fashioning the political dialogue, by taking space in the streets and fanning out throughout the country on behalf of political change. Their achievement has particular resonance for the current situation in the United States, where our government has framed the debate about Social Security, the Iraq war and the state of the environment.”

Here in the U.S. and indeed all over the world, mothers gathered in many places in 5 minutes of silence on Mother’s Day. In Washington D.C. 33 people were arrested after a march where participants chanted, “Stop the Funding, Stop the War – Mothers Say, Not One More.â€?

Filed under: Uncategorized, Sheroes