Lexington Real Foods Co-op Newsletter Article-September/October 2003

Standing for Body-Mind Connections-Women in Black and the Co-op in Buffalo

What I love most about being a member of the Co-op as a commitment to making the world a better place is the awareness here of being both a resident of the city of Buffalo and citizen of the world. I never know who I’ll run into, but I can be sure I’ll encounter someone who will remind me of the few degrees of separation between people everywhere.

For example, I stand with Women in Black (WIB) on Elmwood Avenue at Bidwell Parkway every Saturday from Noon to 1P. We’ve been standing vigil every Saturday for nearly two years [ * ] , and every week there are close encounters of the small world kind. It’s a matter of course to be asked by a passer-by, "Where’s the Lexington Co-op?", or to see other Co-op members, including a few who stand vigil with us. (I look forward to the time when the Co-op moves to Elmwood so directions are easier!)

Another reason the Co-op is in the forefront of my mind during this hour is because of the Bidwell Market on the western portion of the Parkway, where one can pick up fine fresh produce from late May thru October. While the market is a stop for many local produce shoppers on their way to the Co-op, Tom Towers is one of the farm vendors at the Market. Tom is the strongest reminder for me of the relationship between basic principles of democratic action and the Co-op as representative of this. At the end of every vigil, Tom donates some treat for WIB vigilers. This week he brought us a half-bushel of juicy fresh peaches, saying, "This is nourishment for your body, because you work to provide all of us with nourishment for our minds." When a man in a car yelled out, "Don’t you people have anything better to do on a Saturday than stand on Elmwood?" Tom yelled back, "No, there really isn’t anything better to do!" I thought to myself, "Or any better place for local produce than the Co-op!"

WIB is a worldwide network of people committed to peace with justice actively opposed to war and other forms of violence, in demonstrations taking the dramatic form of women and men wearing black as a color of mourning, standing in a public place in silent non-violent vigils at regular times. Started in the Middle East in1988 by Palestinian and Israeli women protesting Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, the idea has since spread to Europe, Central America, Canada, and many U.S. cities. WIB was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001. WIB-BFLO [ www.wibbuffalo.net ] began in October 2001 to protest the bombing of Afghanistan. We are a peaceful presence for dissent, a fundamental principle of democracy. All women and men are welcome to join us any Saturday!

Roxanne R. Amico (Roxanne is a visual artist, writer, and activist for social change. She’s been a member of the co-op for 19 years.)

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www.wibbuffalo.net