November 3

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Women peacemakers born today

  • 1889 Katharina Petersen born Kappeln, Hanover, Germany (d. 1979). German Quaker; professor fired by Hitler; stayed in Germany through World War II; opposed postwar rearmament.

  • 1912 Marie-Claude Vaillant-Couturier (née Vogel) born Paris, France (d. 1996). French Communist politican; photojournalist; Resistance heroine; arrested 1942, survived Auschwitz, Ravenbrück; Secretary General pacifist Women’s International Democratic Federation (WIDF) 1946; opposed Vietnam War 1949, Algerian War, Korean War; witness at Nüremberg Trials.

  • 1917 Annapurna Maharana born Cuttack, India (d. 2012). Gandhian disciple. Joined Gandhi's march through the state of Orissa, 1937; imprisoned on three occasions during independence movement, 1932, 1942, 1944. Joined Vinoba Bhave's Bhoodan marches, 1951; worked on famine relief efforts, 1966; aided refugees along India-Bangladesh border, 1970-71; undertook Chambal Valley padayatrato get outlaws to surrender, 1972-73; opened high school in Rayagod, Koraput, to educate tribal children, 1977. Nobel Peace Prize nominee, 2005.

  • 1937 Lynn Woolsey born Seattle, WA. US Representative; introduced first resolution to bring Iraq troops home and first hearing on leaving Iraq, 2005; arrested for Darfur protest, 2009.

  • 1952 Roseanne Barr born Salt Lake City, UT. Actress. Opposed wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; participant in "One Taxpayer's Mother" protest for Code Pink on National Mall, May 8, 2010.

  • 1955 Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka born Claremont, Durban, South Africa. Member of Parliament, 1994-2008. First woman to serve as deputy president of South Africa, 2005-08. Executive Director of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN Women), 2013.

  • 1982 Rae Abileah born Freeport, NY. National Coordinator, Code Pink. Attempted citizen’s arrest of Karl Rove for war crimes, 2008. Beaten and arrested after interrupting Israeli PM Netanyahu's speech to Congress, 2011.

Women's peacemaking on this day

  • 1935 Swedish Women's Mobilization for Peace national protest by WILPF.

  • 1970 Jane Fonda falsely arrested for antiwar activity, charged with possession of drugs (vitamins) in Cleveland, OH.

  • 1990 Gro Harlem Brundtland elected Norwegian prime minister for third time.

  • 2011 Tibetan nun Palden Choetso immolated self in Ganzi Prefecture.

  • 2015 International Catalan Institute for Peace sponsored Barcelona forum Women, Peace and Security.