Canton Resident Wears Blacks to Mourn Victims of Violence

As she prepares to once again join other women dressed in black on the Canton Green Sunday, Nora Jamieson said the effort is not about protest or politics.

“We have to find a way to heal the violence,” Jamieson said. “This culture has a very short memory when it comes to mourning.”

Beginning Jan. 13, Jamieson and others began standing on the green, at the corner of Route 44 and Dowd Avenue, as “Women in Black,” an “international network of women committed to justice and peace.”

Jamieson said a group of women also kept vigil in 2003 during the build-up to the Iraq War.

After the Newtown shootings, Jamieson and friend Claudette Baril decided to start the Sunday vigils, which take place from 1 to 2 p.m. Jamieson said there is no set time frame for how long the vigils will continue. 

While she feels the conversations and debate need to happen, Jamieson emphasized that the group is there to mourn. And while the national network is anti-war, Jamieson said the vigil welcomes all women, dressed in black, no matter what their political views.

For information contact Jamieson at norajamieson@comcast.net or Susan Jorgensen at SJPresence@aol.com .

For more on Women in Black, log on to http://www.womeninblack.org/en/vigil