November 2

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Women peacemakers born today

  • 1883 Jessie Daniel Ames born Palestine, TX (d. 1972). Anti-lynching suffragist; founded Southern Women's anti-lynching association, 1909.

  • 1901 Magda Trocmé born Florence, Italy (d. 1997). French nonviolent activist who rescued 3,000 Jews.

  • 1936 Rosemary Radford Ruether born St. Paul, MN. Catholic theologian; opponent of Vietnam War, US wars in Central America, Iraq; feminist.

  • 1938 Ria Beckers born Driebergen, Netherlands (d. 2006). Dutch politician; environmentalist; classics teacher. First woman to head a Dutch political party, the environmental Political Party Radicals (PPR), 1977; later became head of GreenLeft Party, 1990-93. Opposed Gulf War, 1990, Iraq War, 2003.

  • 1948 Mandy Carter born Albany, NY. African-American war resister; gay rights activist; organized Continental Walk for War Resisters League, 1976.

  • 1961 Sigrid Kaag born Rijswick, Netherlands. Dutch diplomat, known as “The Iron Lady.” Served roles in UNICEF, UNWRRA, UNDP. Headed UN mission to destroy Syrian chemical weapons, 2013. UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon during Syria War, 2014. Awarded Carnegie-Wateler Peace Prize, 2016.

Women's peacemaking on this day

  • 1883 Emma Lazarus wrote the poem "The New Colossus", later to be inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty.

  • 1961 Hannah Newcombe and others founded the Canadian Peace Research Institute.

  • 1979 Danish women occupied Danner House (palace) as women's shelter.

  • 1989 Sister Diana Ortiz abducted and tortured in Guatemala.

  • 2007 Eve Tetaz sentenced to 7 days for anti-Iraq War protest in Washington, DC; arrested 11 times, 2007.

  • 2009 Sister Anne Montgomery (84), Susan Crane (67), and Lynne Greenwald (61) arrested for cutting wire at Tacoma nuclear sub base, later sentenced. "Trident Illegal and Immoral."