September 11

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Women peacemakers born today

  • 1796 Eugenie Niboyet born Montpellier, France (d. 1883). French feminist editor; Christian Socialist; her first book against death penalty 1836; first European peace journal 1844; founded first continental peace society LIPL Geneva 1867; sponsored peace essay contests.

  • 1850 Mary Elizabeth Lease born Ridgway, PA (d. 1933). Populist lawyer, orator, suffragist, pacifist; Vice President World Peace Congress 1893; opposed militarism.

  • 1877 Rosika Schwimmer born Budapest (d. 1948). Hungarian internationalist and pacifist, feminist and suffragist editor, lecturer; first woman diplomat 1918; founded pacifist Hungarian Feminist Assn. 1904; co-founded WILPF Hague 1915; led Women’s Peace Party 1914; cofounder Campaign for World Government 1937; World Peace Prize 1937; nominated for Nobel Prize 1947.

  • 1885 Denise Moran Savineau born Paris, France (d. after 1946). Journalist. French critic of colonial treatment of women. Ran forum of World Committee of Women against War and Fascism, 1935.

  • 1895 Mercedes M. Randall born Guatemala City (d. 1977). Peace historian and leader of WILPF; wrote first American account of Holocaust 1942; organized nomination of Emily Balch for Nobel Prize 1946; wrote her biography.

  • 1897 Hertha Kraus born Prague, Bohemia (d. 1968). German Jewish professor of social welfare; Quaker pacifist; early member of German FOR; exiled 1933.

  • 1924 Agnes Baker Pilgrim born Lodgson, OR. Takelma elder tribal member. Designated "Living Treasure" by Confederated Tribes of Stiletz. Founding president, International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers, 2004. After 140 years, revived Sacred Salmon Ceremony.

  • 1941 Minnijean Brown-Trickey born Little Rock, AR. Civil rights activist. One of Little Rock Nine who desegregated Central High School, 1957. Exiled during Vietnam War to Canada where she supported First Nation issues; Interior Dept. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Diversity under Clinton administration, 1999-2001. Awarded Congressional Gold Medal, 1999.

  • 1953 Audrey Eu born Hong Kong. Lawyer; head of Hong Kong Bar Association. Leader of Occupy Central with Love and Peace (OCLP), a nonviolent direct action movement for free elections. Elected member of legislature, 2000-12; founding chair of Civic Party, 2006-12.

  • 1969 Edda Manga Otalora born Bogota, Colombia. Swedish historian; peace activist; anti-militarist. Imprisoned in Gaza Freedom Flotilla when nine were killed, 2010.

Women's peacemaking on this day

  • 1970 Women's Pentagon Action established against imperialism, racism, nukes, military spending.

  • 1971 NOW conference Los Angeles called for end of all war.

  • 2002 First Peace Path Baltimore by Women in Black in memory of twin towers destruction.

  • 2002 Prof. Barbara Wien advised US Institute for Peace against military response to 9/11. “I would hope that the United States would not resort to military retaliation and that we need to do a great deal of soul-searching in this country about how U.S. policies might have contributed to the emergence of terrorist policies."