April 8

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Women peacemakers born today

  • 1903 Ilka Chase born New York, NY (d. 1978). American actress and novelist, Quaker pacifist.

  • 1905 Helen Joseph born Easebourne, West Sussex, England (d. 1992). South African nonviolent anti-Apartheid protester. Led march of 20,000 women in protest against pass laws, Pretoria, 1956; first South African put under house arrest.

  • 1922 Vivian Anderson Castleberry born Lindale, TX. Newspaper editor. Founded Peacemakers, 1987. Ran first International Women’s Peace Conference, 1988. Made citizen diplomat trips to Russia, 1984, 1986, 1987.

  • 1928 Leah Rabin born Königsberg, E. Prussia (d. 2000). Israeli peace advocate after murder of her Nobel laureate husband, 1995.

  • 1948 Danuta Hubner born Nisko, Poland. Polish economist. Executive Director UN European Commission for Econ., 2001; European Commissioner of Economic Policy, 2004-09; European Parliament, 2009.

  • 1954 Louisa Hanoune born al-Shafiqa, Hegal, Algeria. As head of Workers Party, first woman to run for Algerian presidency, 2004. Nobel Peace Prize nominee, 2005.

  • 1955 Barbara Kingsolver born Annapolis, MD. American author and biologist. Protested Vietnam War; self-exiled during Gulf War, 1990. Joined antiwar organization Not In Our Name, 2003. Published anti-colonialist novel The Poisonwood Bible based on her childhood experiences in the Congo, 1999.

  • 1968 Tracy Grammer born Homestead, FL. American folk singer. Protested Iraq War and war toys.

Women's peacemaking on this day

  • 1916 Sylvia Pankhurst organized London demonstration against conscription.

  • 1945 World Security Month celebrated by National Council of Negro Women.

  • 1992 French end nuclear testing as result of Marie-Pierre Bovy's Stop Essais campaign.

  • 1993 Swedish Women in Black of Lund demonstrate in sympathy with Serbian women.

  • 2009 Spanish teacher Audrey Schwankl dressed as Lady Liberty arrested in immigration protest.

  • 2012 In Damascus, protester Rima Dali was arrested. "Stop the killing, so we can build a country for all Syrians."

  • 2013 Three members of FEMEN protested nude against Vladimir Putin’s visit to Hanover.

  • 2015 In Kardze, Tibet, Buddhist nun Yeshi Khando reportedly died of self-immolation protest.