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Remembrance, Peace, and the White Poppy: A Trauma-Informed & Anti-Oppressive Perspective
- Sophie LR
- May 15
- 4 min read
Updated: May 16
Today, May 15th, is International Conscientious Objectors’ Day, a day to honour the people, throughout history and today, who have refused to take part in war, often facing personal cost for their choice.
I only recently discovered this day (and the Peace Pledge Union) while researching the psychological and social impacts of WW1 and WW2.
That it falls on today felt significant; a quiet alignment between my own inquiry and a longer tradition of peace work, remembrance, and resistance to violence.
Why the White Poppy Matters
The white poppy has been worn for more than 90 years as a symbol of remembrance and a commitment to peace.
It was first created in 1933 by women in the Co-operative Women’s Guild, many of whom had lost partners, children, siblings, or friends in the First World War.
They did not want to abandon remembrance; they wanted to deepen it.
Their message was clear: “never again.”
The white poppy carries three intertwined meanings:
Remembering all who suffer in war: Not only soldiers, but civilians; not only our “own” side, but people of all nationalities.
This includes those killed in conflicts happening right now, as well as those whose stories are often left out: refugees, displaced people, and victims of colonial and imperial wars.
Questioning war and militarism: The white poppy invites us to notice how war becomes normalised, justified, or even celebrated in culture and politics. It asks us to resist not only the violence itself, but the stories that make violence seem inevitable or noble.
Choosing peace and nonviolence: Wearing or acknowledging the white poppy is a way of declaring that we are committed to seeking nonviolent ways to respond to conflict, and to working toward a world where war is no longer seen as the default solution.
Whose Lives Are Remembered?
As a therapist working with trauma, intergenerational pain, and neurodivergent clients, I’m acutely aware of the stories that get told and those get silenced.
Mainstream remembrance in the UK often centres on British and allied military deaths, primarily from WW1 and WW2. That focus is not wrong, but it is incomplete.
It leaves out:
The millions of colonial soldiers and civilians drawn into these wars from India, the Caribbean, Africa, and beyond
The human cost of colonial conflicts before, between, and after the World Wars
The ways Empire and militarism are deeply entangled, and how their legacies continue to shape who is valued and who is marginalised today
When we remember only selectively, we risk repeating the very erasures that cause harm in the present.
For many people, especially those from communities impacted by colonialism, mainstream remembrance can feel exclusionary, even re-traumatising.
Decolonising remembrance means intentionally widening our field of attention.
It means:
Acknowledging the full global impact of war, not just the British narrative
Listening to voices and histories that have been pushed to the margins
Recognising that colonial racism still influences whose grief is publicly honoured and whose is treated as invisible
Remembrance as a Relational, Therapeutic Act
As a therapist, I see remembrance as more than a ritual or a date on the calendar. It is a relational practice, a way of witnessing, holding, and making meaning together.
Trauma, including intergenerational and collective trauma, lives in the stories we tell and the stories we omit.
How we remember shapes how we understand ourselves, our communities, and our responsibility to one another.
For me, meaningful remembrance:
Makes space for grief without glorifying violence
Honours complexity rather than simplifying history into “heroes” and “enemies”
Connects past harm to present realities, including ongoing conflicts, colonial legacies, and systemic injustice
Invite us to ask: what do we carry forward, and what do we commit to change?
Benjamin Zephaniah on the White Poppy
The late writer and poet Benjamin Zephaniah spoke powerfully about why he wore the white poppy:
“I love wearing my white poppy... We have to remember all victims of war, not just the select few. And we have to work towards a world where there is no war.”
His words capture the heart of this practice: inclusive remembrance paired with an active commitment to peace.
You can watch his short video on the Peace Pledge Union website:🔗 https://www.ppu.org.uk/remembrance-white-poppies
A Commitment to Peace in Practice
In my private practice, I strive to embody the same ethic that the white poppy represents:
To remember fully and without erasure, especially for those whose pain is often overlooked
To challenge narratives that normalise harm, violence, or oppression
To believe in, and work toward, nonviolent ways of responding to conflict in relationships, communities, and society
Remembrance, at its best, is not just about the past. It is a form of resistance and a promise: that we will not accept war as inevitable, that we will make space for all who suffer, and that we will keep working toward peace.
#Trauma-Informed Therapy # White Poppy # Remembrance Day #Intergenerational Trauma # Decolonising Remembrance # Anti War # International Conscientious Objectors Day
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