August 8

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Women peacemakers born today

  • 1847 Alice Gordon Gulick born Boston, MA (d. 1903). Opposed Spanish-American War 1898; founded International Institute for Girls, San Sebastian, Spain 1887.

  • 1868 Elisabeth Waern-Bugge born Billingsfors, Sweden (d. 1951). Swedish leader of WILPF 1919; first WILPF mission and report on Palestine 1931; Swedish Women's Unarmed Uprising Against War 1935.

  • 1887 Germaine Hannevart born Leuze, Hainaut, Belgium (d. 1977). Belgian educator, biology professor; became active pacifist after fiance killed in WWI; militant feminist; peace missions to China and Korea.

  • 1910 Rúhíyyih Khanum born New York, NY (d. 2000). Bahá'í leader; promoted world peace and UN.

  • 1932 Ruth Elizabeth Lechte born Melbourne, Australia (d. 2012). Feminist; environmentalist; peace activist. Founding staff member of Fiji YWCA, 1962. Spearheaded opposition to nuclear testing in Mururoa, leading to nuclear-free Pacific, 1968.

  • 1958 Mozah bint Nasser born Al Khor, Qatar. Muslim wife of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, emir of Qatar. UNESCO Special Envoy for Basic and Higher Education, 2003; UN Alliance of Civilizations (AOC) Ambassador, 2010; UN Millennium Development Goals Advocacy Group, 2010.

Women's peacemaking on this day

  • 1950 American Women for Peace founded. "The lives of our daughters and sons can be secure only in a world at peace."

  • 1958 First woman to head national delegation to UN: Agda Rössel for Sweden.

  • 1981 Nordic Women for Peace March for Peace from Copenhagen arrived Paris.

  • 1983 35 German women fasted 7 days for peace, Düsseldorf.

  • 1984 Barb Katt damaged computers for Trident missile in Plowshares protest at Sperry plant, Eagan, MN.

  • 1988 2000 women attended the First International Women’s Peace Conference, organized and chaired by Vivian Castleberry, Dallas, TX.

  • 2007 Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge fired for policy to fight AIDS.

  • 2011 In Bahrain, Jalila Al Salman and Rula Al Saffar went on hunger strike to protest torture.

  • 2011 Kissathon protest for better education, Santiago, Chile.

  • 2012 Tibetan nun Dolkar Kyi died of immolation at Tso monastery, Kanltho, Gansu.

  • 2016 Conference on Women, Peace and Security in Western Asia, Beirut.