Code Pink, Women Against War in L.A.

They wear pink, they carry pink umbrellas, they hold pink flowers, and they hand out pink buttons – all in the name of peace. They are the women of Code Pink, a grass-roots movement that has swept across the United States – and to Europe – in opposition to the war in Iraq. In recent months, they have marched in demonstrations, descended on the offices of U.S. senators, and held a months-long vigil in front of the White House. Their name, Code Pink, is a play on George Bush’s Code Red security warning system – and stands for compassion, caring and love. For three days this past weekend, March 21, 22 and 23, Code Pink women in Los Angeles reacted to the beginning of the U.S.-led war in Iraq – holding an evening vigil Friday at the National Cemetery across the street from the federal government building; heading to the beach at Santa Monica on Saturday to plead their cause with Hollywood celebrities attending the Spirit awards ceremony for independent films; and hitting the streets in Hollywood on Sunday, participating in an anti-war rally and then lifting their voices in front of the Kodak Theatre, as the stars arrived for the 75th Academy Awards. The movement, which began in southern California last May, has drawn together mothers, wives, grandmothers, working women and housewives all across the country – and has won support from many artists, including authors Alice Walker and Maxine Hong Kingston, and folk-rock singer Michelle Shocked.