June 3

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Women peacemakers born today

  • 1853 Hannah Kent Schoff born Upper Darby, PA (d. 1940). Social reformer for children's rights. Organized International Conference on Child Welfare,  Washington DC, 1908.

  • 1926 Flora MacDonald born North Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada (d. 2003). First woman Foreign Minister of Canada, 1979. Member of Carnegie Commission on the Prevention of Deadly Conflict, 1994-99. Awarded Pearson Medal of Peace, 1999.

  • 1943 Scilla Elworthy born Galashiels, Scotland. International relations scholar. Founded Oxford Research Group for peace dialog, 1982; started Peace Direct, supporting local peacemaking, 2003. Awarded Niwano Peace Prize, 2003.

  • 1954 Mariateresa Di Lascia born Rocchetta Sant'Antonio, Foggia, Italy (d. 1994) Radical Italian reformer; author. Coordinated Survival 82 international campaign against world hunger; co-founded Hunger Day in sympathy with victims of Balkan War, 1992.

  • 1955 Margot Kässmann born Marburg, Hesse, Germany. Lutheran bishop. First woman to head the German Evangelical Council, 2009; opposed German participation in Afghan War, 2009; signed German leaders’ antiwar protest, 2014.

  • 1965 Pauline Silver Acayo born Gulu-Lira borderlands, Uganda. Catholic Relief nun. Helped over 2,000 abducted children, adults, and former soldiers reintegrate into their former communities; encouraged national peace and reconciliation talks.

  • 1980 Wazhma Frogh born Kabul, Afghanistan. Afghan human rights leader. Co-founded Research Institute for Women Peace & Security-Afghanistan (RIWPS), 2013.

Women's peacemaking on this day

  • 1903 Caroline Kauffman and Madeleine Pelletier leafleted French parliament with suffragist literature.

  • 1913 At the Epsom Derby, suffragette Emily Davison died as she attempted to grab the bridle of the racehorse Anmer, owned by King George V.

  • 1946 US Supreme Court decided 6-1 in favor of Irene Morgan's bus boycott for civil rights.

  • 1979 Gladys del Estal killed by police Tudela, Navarre as she celebrated international day of action against nuclear power.

  • 1992 Earth Summit Rio de Janeiro organized by Françoise Cestac; 180 nations, 118 chiefs of state was largest international conference to date.