Talk about commitment.

You may have seen them before, standing silently along West Colfax Avenue, adjacent to the Rocky Mountain News/Denver Post building and Civic Center Park.

I had - any number of times. Sometimes I'd smile or nod, sometimes just pass by. Their sign reads, "Women in Black - Silent Vigil for Peace."

I decided it was a story that shouldn't be ignored, so I stopped and talked with these women in black. They were reticent at first, after all, it's supposed to be a silent vigil. But they took the time to briefly explain their organization, its mission and give me a printed handout.

I learned they've stood in various places with their sign much longer than I had ever imagined - once a week, since long before the Iraq war was even launched - back to November of 2002.

More than five years. No matter how you feel about the Iraq war, you have to admire their commitment.

One member told me when they first started the vigil they'd hear comments from passing motorists or pedestrians both ways - in support or against their vigil. Now, she said they hear comments mostly in agreement.

As with many stories, once you dig a little, there's always more to it. It's not just about the Iraq war, or any single war -not at all, but women committed to peace with justice and "opposed to injustice, war, militarism and other forms of violence."

Women in Black is international in scope, founded in Israel in 1988. Their motto is 'Women in Black - For Justice. Against War."

There are weekly vigils held in more than 20 countries.

The group was awarded the Millenniium Peace Prize for Women by the United Nations Development Fund for Women in 2001. WIB groups also have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and the Right Livelihood Award.

Their press release reads in part: "We are not an organization, but a means of communication and a formula for action. We wear black as a symbol of mourning for those killed by war and violence. We stand in silence because sometimes words get in the way."

Their silence speaks volumes.

For more information on Women in Black, visit www.womeninblack.org.