August 21

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Women peacemakers born today

  • 1929 Emma Mashinini born Rosettenville, Johannesburg. Headed South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission 1986; union leader arrested 1981 held 6 months solitary; president of Mediation and Conciliation Centre Johannesburg.

  • 1947 Margaret Chan Feng Fu-chun born Hong Kong. Director-General UN World Health Organization 2006-12; led global fight against Ebola epidemic.

  • 1949 Nicole Kiil-Nielsen born Larchamp, Mayenne, France. French Green politician; elected European Parliament, 2009, serving on Foreign Affairs Committee; anti-nuclear activist since 1960s; aboard “Say Human” Freedom Flotilla II ship “Dignité” to Gaza, 2011.

  • 1974 Hafsat Abiola-Costello born Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. Nigerian human rights activist; founded Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND), 1999; China Africa Bridge, 2008. Cambridge Peace Commission Youth Peace award 1997; Goi Peace Award 2016.

  • 1991 Ahlem Nasraoui born Sbeitla, Kasserine, Tunisia. Leader of Arab Spring; maintains peace blog Peaceholics. Founded Creativo Club for peaceful protest through arts; founded Young Leaders Entrepreneurs. Celebrated International Women's Day 2014 with human chain peace symbol.

Women's peacemaking on this day

  • 1822 Nonviolent lecturer Lucretia Mott accepted as Quaker minister by Philadelphia Women Friends.

  • 1905 Universal Peace Conference Mt. Lebanon PA organized by Shaker Anna White.

  • 1921 Conclusion of Niagara Falls Conference which founded Women's Peace Union.

  • 1947 First Inter-American Congress of Women, Guatemala sponsored by WILPF.

  • 1991 European Women's Peace Caravan Sarajevo called for world peace.

  • 1992 Four Women of Global Peace Farmers asked end to nuclear weapons, Concord CA.

  • 2012 Women's Peace Group protested bomb symposium at Naval Postgraduate School, Portola CA led by Ms. MacGregor Eddy.