Page 9 - BPW-UK-E-news-Edition 112 - May 2023

The Women’s Quilt
and
The Peace Quilt

Jo Kinsey, Sylvia Perry, Judith Crowe and I
took a Black Taxi tour around Belfast two days
after National Conference. In certain areas, both
Catholic and Protestant, there were many murals or graffiti on public buildings which
served as a constant reminder of the troubles in the 60’s and 70’s.

A more positive reminder was the Women’s Quilt which the lower Shankill Women's
Group created using the traditional family quilt as their inspiration. This is often
made by family members and handed down over the generations. The women decid-
ed to decorate their quilt with panels depicting peace and love and show that women
had a pivotal role to play within the Shankill area and that their voices were as im-
portant as anyone else's.
It draws out family stories of care, loss, remembrance and love, not only for their
own families but the wider community. This artwork replaced a contentious paramili-
tary mural and an artwork depicting the burning of Protestant houses at the begin-
ning of the troubles. The Peace Quilt depicts in the same way the ideals of ‘Women
Together’ which was founded in 1990 by two women, one Protestant, one Catholic,
Ruth Agnew and Monica Patterson. The violence on the streets had been terrible
with many deaths, injuries and families torn apart. These two ladies came together
and called a meeting of all women fed up with the horrors who wanted to take a
stand against violence and sectarianism.

Hundreds of women came from both Catholic and Protestant areas and ‘Women To-
gether’ was born. They formed chains across the streets to stop youths throwing
stones and took children from both sides of the divide together on country breaks
and spoke out bravely for an end to the violence. Both quilts showed that women’s
voices need to be heard in times of conflict and negotiating peace.

Christine Nendick
VP Advocacy