WCNY, in conjunction with the airing of the national five-part PBS series, Women, War and Peace beginning October 11, has produced a documentary that focuses on the lives of women who have settled in upstate New York after experiencing life in war-torn countries.  The documentary, Women Who Conquer War, shares the stories of women who have travelled from their homelands or refugee camps, to build new lives for themselves and their families in upstate New York.  It also features insights from scholars and staff of local organizations who aid refugees, to promote understanding of the tremendous courage of these women as well as the tremendous challenges they face today as they rebuild their lives.

UN Photo Pernaca Sudhakaran
In addition to the documentary, there will be radio coverage of these issues on WCNY’s Capitol Pressroom and two public programs that will bring some of these women and the public together in Syracuse and Utica to meet and learn from one another. WCNY’s Women Who Conquer War initiative is funded, in part, by a grant from WNET.

WCNY is grateful to the women for sharing their stories with us.  Amy Manley, producer of the Women Who Conquer War documentary, has personally felt the impact of their stories.  “In my two decades as a producer, I have never been part of a project that has had such a imprint on me as Women Who Conquer War. I am completely grateful and humbled by the women who were willing to share their personal stories with us. Their incredible strength and courage is an inspiration and I hope that their powerful message of peace will continue to help shape their Central New York communities for the next generation.”

On Television…

 WCNY’s documentary, Women Who Conquer War, will be broadcast on November 8, at 9:00 p.m., immediately preceding the last episode of the PBS series, Women, War and Peace. Peace.  

The topics for each of the five episodes of Women, War and Peace are:

Episode 1: I Came to Testify is the story of 16 Bosnian women who had been imprisoned and raped by Serb-led forces who took the witness stand in an international court of law.

Airs October 11 at 9:30 p.m. on WCNY 24.1 and 24.4.

Episode 2: Pray the Devil Back to Hell recounts how Liberian women took on their country’s dictator and warlords in the middle of a brutal civil war and won peace for their country.  Airs October 18 at 10:00 p.m. on WCNY 24.1 and 24.4.

Episode 3: Peace Unveiled follows three Afghanistan women who are risking their lives to make sure that women’s rights don’t get traded away in any negotiations with the Taliban.  Airs October 25 at 10:00 p.m. on WCNY 24.1 and 24.4.

Episode 4: The War We Are Living travels to the mountains of Colombia to see how two extraordinary women are faring in leading the fight to retain their gold-rich lands.  Airs November 1 at 10:00 p.m. on WCNY 24.1 and 24.4.

Episode 5: War Defined features interviews with leading thinkers, political leaders and seasoned survivors of war and peace-making to discuss the changing dynamics of war and peace and the role of women in those dynamics.  Airs November 8 at 9:30 p.m. on WCNY 24.4.1 and 24.4.

For more information on the Women, War and Peace you can visit http://www.pbs.org/wnet/women-war-and-peace. 

On the Radio…

The October 11^th radio broadcast of The Capitol Pressroom, featured WCNY’s Director of News and Public Affairs, Susan Arbetter, discussing the role of women in war and peace.  This episode of The Capitol Pressroom is available from The Capitol Pressroom archives on our website at www.wcny.org.

Educational Program to be Offered in Syracuse and Utica

Women Who Conquer War: Neighbor Meets Neighbor, is a free WCNY educational outreach program open to the public, that will be offered twice in October.  This program provides an opportunity for members of the community to come together with immigrant and refugee women to share stories and learn more about one another.  The first time this program will be offered will be on Saturday, October 15 at 1:00 p.m. in Utica.  It will be held at the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees (MVRCR), 309 E. Genesee Street #1, Utica.  This program is also open to those participating in UNSPOKEN, an annual human rights forum in Utica that combines film, art, music, and a conference into one festival.  This multi-faceted forum seeks not only to give a voice to human rights violations from around the globe, but also to offer practical solutions in order to shape a better tomorrow and give hope to the future.

Women Who Conquer War: Neighbor Meets Neighbor will also be offered in Syracuse on Wednesday, October 19 at 7:00 p.m. at the Catholic Charities/Northside CYO at 529 North Salina Street, Syracuse.     Both  

The last five lines of the 1883 poem called The New Colossus written by Emma Lazarus, can be found on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.  She wrote the poem as part of fundraising efforts for the Statue.

Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless tempest-tossed to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

The welcoming of immigrants to its shores has often been cited as one of America’s greatest strengths.  It is a pattern that has been ongoing throughout American history involving people from all corners of the world over the centuries.  Today, many of America’s immigrants are refugees from war-torn, drought-stricken nations, places like Bosnia, Iraq, Buhtan, Rwanda, the Sudan, Vietnam, and the Congo, to name but a few.  Refugees and immigrants are the newest residents of our communities.  They may look and sound different to those born in America, just as those born in America may look and sound different to them. Have you ever thought about how other people see you? What it would be like to arrive in a new land knowing no one and without any knowledge of the new land’s customs, culture and language?  WCNY’s Women Who Conquer War: Neighbor Meets Neighbor public programs will help you gain insight and inspiration.

Women War and Peace – a selected bibliography

Prepared by Peg Elliott and Amy Thorna, Onondaga County Public Library

Refugees in the U. S.

BOOKS

The Middle of Everywhere: The World's Refugees Come to Our Town

Mary Pipher

Offers the tales of refugees who have escaped countries riddled by conflict and ripped apart by war to realize their dream of starting a new life in America, detailing their triumph over adversity

Strength in What Remains

Tracy Kidder

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tracy Kidder returns with the extraordinary true story of Deo, a young man who arrives in America from Burundi in search of a new life. After surviving a civil war and genocide, he ekes out a precarious existence delivering groceries, living in Central Park, and learning English by reading dictionaries in bookstores until he begins to meet the strangers who will change his life, pointing him eventually in the direction of Columbia University, medical school, and a life devoted to healing

Nomad: From Islam to America - A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Hirsi Ali tells of coming to America to build a new life, an ocean away from the death threats made to her by European Islamists, the strife she witnessed, and the inner conflict she suffered. She calls on key institutions of the West--including universities, the feminist movement, and the Christian churches--to enact specific, innovative remedies that would help other Muslim immigrants to overcome the challenges she has experienced and to resist the fatal allure of fundamentalism and terrorism.

The Story of My Life: An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky

Farah Ahmedi; Mir Tamim Ansary

Ahmedi was born just as the war between the mujahideen and the Soviets reaches its peak in Afghanistan. The sounds of gunfire and fighter planes were as normal to her as the sounds of traffic or children playing are to a schoolgirl in America. When she stepped on a land mine on her way to school, she began to learn--slowly--that ordinary people, often strangers, have immense power to save lives and restore hope. This story was selected from hundreds submitted to ABC's Good Morning America.

DVDs

God Grew Tired of Us

Christopher Quinn; Tommy Walker; Peter Gilbert; Brad Pitt; Steven Rosenbaum; Adam Schlesinger; Jack Schneider; Eric Gilliland; Catherine Keener; Dermot Mulroney; Molly Bradford Pace; Nicole Kidman; Panther Bior; John Bul Dau; Daniel Abol Pach; Paul Daley; Johanna Giebelhaus; Geoffrey Richman; Jamie Saft; Mark Nelson; Mark McAdam

Presents the plight of young, male Sudanese refugees, known as "lost boys," being displaced to foreign countries due to civil war in their homeland. The film tells the story of three of the lost boys who struggled to come to the U.S.for a better life, while still attempting to assist the family and friends they have left behind.

WOMEN: WAR AND PEACE

BOOKS

Paradise Beneath her Feet: How Women are Transforming the Middle East

Isobel Coleman

A journey through the strategic crescent of the greater Middle East--Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan-- reveals how activists are working within the tenets of Islam to create economic, political, and educational opportunities for women. Coleman argues that these efforts are critical to bridging the conflict between those championing reform and those seeking to oppress women in the name of religious tradition.

Muslim Women Reformers: Inspiring Voices Against Oppression

Ida Lichter

A compilation of Muslim women's stories from around the world. Focuses on the voices of reformers who battle fiercely against such barbarisms as stonings, acid attacks, gang rapes, and "honor killings" that go largely unpunished due to discriminatory religious laws and an entrenched patriarchal culture. Compact and often poignant biographies provide an in-depth and up-to-date look at the status of women in Muslim countries and expose to the whole world the harsh realities many women experience on a daily basis in many parts of the globe.

Dreaming of Baghdad

Haifa Zangana

Written by an Iraqi woman, this memoir addresses the experience of imprisonment and struggle against the Baath regime of Iraq, which lasted from 1968 to 2003. Zangana was a radical activist in Iraq in the 1970s, and she wrote of her experiences in hope that she would not betray the memories of the people with whom she worked or was imprisoned.

This Was Not Our War: Bosnian Women Reclaiming the Peace

Swanee Hunt

First-person accounts of twenty-six Bosnian women who are reconstructing their society following years of devastating warfare. A university student working to resettle refugees, a paramedic who founded a veterans' aid group, a fashion designer running two nonprofit organizations, a government minister and professor who survived Auschwitz - these women are advocates, politicians, farmers, journalists, students, doctors, businesswomen, engineers, wives, and mothers.

Sisters in War: A Story of Love, Family, and Survival in the New Iraq

Christina Asquith

Through the powerful story of two Iraqi sisters, journalist Christina Asquith explores one of the great untold sagas of the Iraq war: the attempt to bring women's rights to Iraq, and the consequences for all those involved.

Led by Faith: Rising From the Ashes of the Rwandan Genocide

Imaculee Ilibagiza

Describes the author's experience of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, her attempts to find meaning in the aftermath of the violence, the solace she found in religion and her eventual move to the United States.

Undaunted: My Struggle for Freedom and Survival in Burma

Zoya Phan

Zoya Phan escaped the Burmese army in her native jungle and a Thai refugee camp to become the spokesperson of the Free Burma movement.

Liberian Women Peacemakers: Fighting for the Right to be Seen, Heard, and Counted

Women are usually seen as victims of wars, as indeed they are. But they are also peacemakers, so that the riches of their land may be invested in their children's education and health services and in agriculture and industry. This book celebrates the Liberian women and men who were caught in the civil war between 1989 and 2003. They tell their own stories of assisting the afflicted, feeding the hungry, pleading with trigger-happy young soldiers to stop the killing, seeking to heal trauma, taking to the streets in protest, and storming peace conferences "to speak plainly and forcefully about the destruction of families, communities and the nation."

Forbidden Lessons in a Kabul Guesthouse: The True Story of a Woman Who Risked Everything to Bring Hope to Afghanistan

Suraya Sadeed; Damien Lewis

From her first humanitarian visit to Afghanistan in 1994, Suraya Sadeed has been personally delivering relief and hope to Afghan orphans and refugees, to women and girls in inhuman situations deemed too dangerous for other aid workers or for journalists. Her memoir of these missions is as unconventional as the woman who has lived it. She founded Help the Afghan Children (HTAC) to fund her efforts.

A Woman Among Warlords: The Extraordinary Story of an Afghan who Dared to Raise her Voice

Malalai Joya; Derrick O'Keefe

Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2010. An extraordinary young woman raised in the refugee camps of Iran and Pakistan, Joya became a teacher in secret girls’ schools, hiding her books under her burqa so the Taliban couldn’t find them; she helped establish a free medical clinic and orphanage. At age 27 she became the youngest person elected to Afghanistan’s new Parliament. In 2007, she was suspended from Parliament for her persistent criticism of the warlords and drug barons and their cronies.

Zoya's Story: An Afghan Woman's Struggle for Freedom Zoya.; John Follain; Rita Cristofari

Zoya's Story is a young woman's searing account of her clandestine war of resistance against the Taliban and religious fanaticism at the risk of her own life. Zoya joined the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, which challenged the crushing edicts of the Taliban government, and made dangerous journeys back to her homeland to help the women oppressed by a system that forced them to wear the stifling burqa, condoned public stoning or whipping if they ventured out without a male chaperon, and forbade them from working.

Iran Awakening: A Memoir of Revolution and Hope

Shirin `Ibadi; Azadeh Moaveni

The winner of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize is an advocate for the oppressed, whose spirit has remained strong in the face of political persecution. Best known here as the lawyer working tirelessly on behalf of Canadian photojournalist Zara Kazemi--raped, tortured and murdered in Iran--Dr. Ebadi offers us a vivid picture of the struggles of one woman against the system.

Women for Afghan Women: Shattering Myths and Claiming the Future

Sunita Mehta

This groundbreaking collection traces the history of women's rights and roles in Afghanistan over the past 30 years; it examines the current human rights crisis, and suggests realistic solutions for post-war Afghanistan.

War's Offensive on Women: The Humanitarian Challenge in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan

Julie Mertus; Judy A Benjamin

Women have long played important roles in war, humanitarian crises, & post-war reconstruction. They are not only targets of conflict but also survivors & key problem-solvers in their communities. This book contends that attempts by humanitarian groups to provide assistance & protection will fall short unless women are enlisted as major actors in such efforts. Case studies from Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan describe experiences in tackling gender issues in humanitarian organizations and in situations of conflict

Gender, Conflict, and Peacekeeping

Dyan E Mazurana; Angela Raven-Roberts; Jane L Parpart Peacekeeping has become a major international undertaking throughout the world, from Africa to the Americas, from Europe to Southeast Asia. Yet until now, there has been no systematic analysis of the key role of gender in post-Cold War conflicts and post-conflict peacekeeping efforts. This groundbreaking volume explores how gender has become a central factor in shaping current thinking about the causes and consequences of armed conflict, complex emergencies, and reconstruction. Presents examples from Angola, Bosnia, East Timor, EI Salvador, the former Yugoslavia, Guatemala, Haiti, Kosovo, Liberia, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, and Serbia.

DVDS

The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo

Lisa F Jackson

Since 1998 a brutal war has been raging in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Over 4 million people have died, and many tens of thousands of women and girls have been systematically kidnapped, raped, mutilated and tortured by soldiers from both foreign militias and the Congolese army. Until now, the world has known nothing of their stories. A survivor of gang rape herself, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Lisa F. Jackson has created an extraordinary film in which these brave women finally speak

God Sleeps in Rwanda

Kimberlee Acquaro; Stacy Sherman; Rosario Dawson; Craig Tanner; Louise Mushikiwabo; Suzanne Nyiranyamibwa

Examines the lives of five Rwandan women as they attempt to rebuild their lives following the 1994 genocide

Women & War

Robyn Hofmeyr; Mark Newman

Interwoven with gripping footage from recent conflicts in the Middle East, Bosnia, Northern Uganda, and South Africa, this compelling program captures women's personal experiences of military violence, explains how they survived, and reflects on their growing resistance to war. The women's feelings of loss, uncertainty, and anguish are expressed through stories of cruelty, degradation, and psychological trauma, while their attempts to achieve reconciliation and rebuild shattered communities demonstrate their positive efforts to create a more peaceful future for everyone.

Inclusive Security: A Curriculum for Women Waging Peace

Institute for Inclusive Security; Women Waging Peace

This unique tool draws on more than a decade of original research and training by The Institute for Inclusive Security and accomplished women peace builders from areas including Afghanistan, Bosnia, Colombia, Haiti, Iraq, Israel & Palestine, Northern Ireland, Rwanda, and Sudan.

Four Women of Egypt

Tahani Rached; Eric Michel; Safynaz Kazem; Wedad Mitry; Shahenda Maklad; Amina Rachid; Jacques Leduc; Serge Lafortune; Jean Derome

Four Egyptian women have the same goals--human diginity and social justice--but each adopts an approach radically different from the others. Muslim, Christian, Jewish or non-religious, their visions of society range from wanting a secular or socialist state to an Islamic one. These friends, deeply committed, argue openly, without ever breaking the bond that unites them

Forging Peace in Guatemala

Gayla Jamison; Liliana Del Rio

A 36-year civil war has left over 150,000 dead and more than 1 million displaced in Guatemala. This program presents stirring portraits of three Mayan women and their efforts on behalf of peace. Adela, a widow, bravely sustains her refugee family. Justina tirelessly travels the countryside explaining the human rights movement to fellow villagers. Francesca, a Mayan priestess, reaffirms the cultural identity of her people. Stunning photography evokes the Mayan Popol Vuh creation story and punctuates the women's courageous struggle.

Missing Peace: Women of Faith and the Failure of War

John Ankele; Anne Macksoud; Melodye Feldman; Katherine Henderson; Nurah Ammat'ullah; Azza M Karam; Hyun Kyung Chung; Nicholas Blair

Women of different religious backgrounds discuss the effects of war and the value of peaceful solutions.

ARTICLES

Through the New York Online Virtual Electronic Library [NOVELny], every New Yorker has access to an online library of thousands of magazines, newspapers, maps, charts, research and reference books free of charge. All you need is your public library card, or your NYS driver’s license or non-driver ID. Search any of the databases listed below to retrieve current news and research articles on all topics relating to women war and peace.Gale Custom Newspapers - Full text newspaper articles from more than 1000 newspapers, including 321 major US titles, 175 Canadian titles, 266 UK titles and hundreds of other International titles. Gale General Onefile and Gale Academic Onefile Periodical and news information on a diverse set of topics, including humanities, education, business, science, current events, art, politics, economics, social science, law, healthcare, computers, technology, environmental issues, and general interest topics. Most articles are full text. The full-text for some journal titles may be subject to publisher-imposed embargo periods. These PowerSearch tutotials for Gale General OneFile and InfoTrac Custom Newspapers will help get you started. Ask your local school, public or academic librarians for assistance with using any of the NOVELny databases.

• Basic Search(3:55)
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AREA ORGANIZATIONS

There are organizations in our communities that work with refugees and immigrants and can provide helpful information about their lives and needs. These organizations can also provide concrete ways for those seeking to support these organizations and the people they serve. Below is a sample of organizations in Syracuse and Utica.

The Alliance of Communities Transforming Syracuse (ACTS)

http://www.acts-cny.org/

This is an inter-faith, multi-racial, urban-suburban, diverse coalition of faith communities and community organizations throughout the greater Syracuse area that organizes with the mission to address the social, economic, educational and political concerns of our communities. Through a process of dialogue, education, training and action, ACTS seeks to empower member faith communities to act on the shared values of human worth, dignity and justice. ACTS seeks to equip ordinary people to engage effectively in the public arena, to build community and to accomplish extraordinary things together.

Members share a common faith all people are children of God and created equal, and therefore deserve the opportunity to achieve our greatest potential.

Catholic Charities Relief Services of Onondaga County Refugee Resettlement Program

http://www.ccoc.us/services/refugee-services/refugee-resettlement

Resettlement services and support are offered for those forced to leave their countries due to unsafe conditions. The program provides assistance with applying for jobs and registering for English language classes, locating translators, finding housing, and securing medical care. Special academic programs prepare refugee children to attend school. Also offered is a Refugee Youth Outreach Program which provides recreation, tutoring, homework assistance, and other supports to refugee children. The program works with children of all ages to help them succeed in school.

Interfaith Works’ Center for New Americans, Syracuse, New York

http://interfaithworkscny.org/blog/programs/center-for-new-americans/

InterFaith Works’ Refugee Resettlement Program at the Center for New Americans is a safe and welcoming place for refugee and immigrant families who are embraced as neighbors and helped to establish new lives in our community. The mission of Refugee Resettlement is to assist refugees in beginning new lives in America; to work as a resource and cultural center for the Southeast Asia population in our community; to assist the community in being a place of welcome for refugees and immigrants; and to help refugees and immigrants in developing their own self-help skills, projects, and associations. All too often, refugees have had their dignity assaulted by situations beyond their control such as war, genocide and global violence. The process of resettling these refugees and assisting them in re-building their lives in our country and community reaffirms their rightful dignity as our friends and our neighbors.

MohawkValley Resource Centerfor Refugees (MVRCR)

http://www.mvrcr.org

MVRCR is located in Utica, where about 20% of Utica’s 60,000 residents are refugees. MVRCR promotes the well-being of culturally diverse individuals and families within the Utica area by welcoming refugees and immigrants, and by providing individual and community-centered activities designed to create opportunity and facilitate understanding. The Center offers a combination of programs and services that teach refugees practical life skills that enhance their ability to integrate into the community, build individual and community capacity to integrate our new neighbors into the local Utica community, and foster an atmosphere of understanding and tolerance through the engagement of individual clients, the refugee/immigrant community and the local community.

Women Transcending Boundaries (WTB)

http://www.wtb.org

WTB began in Central New York shortly after 9/11 when Betsy Wiggins, a Christian, and Danya Wellmon, a Muslim, chatted over coffee. They realized that their common concerns and values far outweighed the differences in their religions. They invited other women to join them to nurture mutual respect and understanding and to break down cultural and religious boundaries. WTB was born. Today, more than 400 women of diverse faiths and cultures are involved in the organization in some way. At monthly WTB meetings, women come together to learn about each others’ traditions, faiths, and values. They also engage in educational and social activities and events as well as service projects, which include funding a school for underprivileged children in Pakistan, helping finance women’s business ventures in war-torn countries throughout the world, sponsoring a sewing club for refugees; and organizing the annual A-OK weekend on the anniversary of 9/11 to engage members of the community in volunteer service projects.

Do you want to get involved?  Contacting community organizations involved in easing the transition of refugees and immigrants from their homelands to our communities is a good first start. Mary Pipher’s book, The Middle of Everywhere: The World’s Refugees Come to Our Town offers some general suggestions on how to offer aid and support to refugees in our communities.  Her suggestions include:

• Visit with refugees whenever you can, on the streets, in the stores, especially when you see someone looking lost or confused.
• Offer to help when you see that help is needed. 
• Encourage your church or civic group to adopt a family.
• Join a group that is helping new Americans learn English or get involved in assisting in classes for newcomers.
• Volunteer at an agency that serves immigrants and refugees.
• Make a contribution of cash or goods.  Find a program that serves refugees and find out their specific needs.