September 29

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Women peacemakers born today

  • 1810 Elizabeth Gaskell born Chelsea, London (d. 1865). British novelist who opposed US Civil War.

  • 1871 Emma Wold born Norway, SD (d. 1950). Internationalist expert on rights of women; Chair of WILPF 1921; founder Women's Committee on National Disarmament 1921; US technical adviser to Conference on Codification of International Law The Hague 1930.

  • 1928 Marge Farmer. Montessori teacher; founded Comité Hispano Montessori, Omaha, NE. Established Fundacion Corazon (Foundation with a Heart), Nicaragua; offered aid to Central American war refugees; participated in civil disobedience against SAC.

  • 1932 Gwen Hennessey born Buchanan County, IA. Catholic nun served 6 months in prison for School of Americas protest 2001; marched with M.L. King in anti-racism demo Antioch IL, worked with Cesar Chavez in Calif; walked across US 1986 against nuclear weapons; Pacem in Terris award 2001.

  • 1936 Loret Miller Ruppe born Laurium, MI (d. 1996). Longest serving Director of Peace Corps 1981-9. US Ambassador to Norway 1989-93; established 3 projects to help address regional challenges: Caribbean Basin Initiative 1983, Initiative for Central America, and African Food Systems Initiative 1985.

  • 1948 Angela Kane born Hamelin, Lower Saxony, Germany. Ranking executive of UN since 1977. Assistant Secretary for Political Affairs, 2005-08; Under-Secretary-General for Management, 2008-12. As High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, oversaw the destruction of stockpiled Syrian chemical weapons, 2013.

  • 1950 Eliane Potiguara born Rio de Janiero, Brazil. Brazilian author and poet; indigenous rights leader. Created first indigenous organization Grumin, 1982; founded first native newspaper; organized international indigenous conferences. Received Baha'i Global Citizenship Award, 1996; Nobel Peace Prize nominee, 2005.

  • 1951 Michelle Bachelet born Santiago, Chile. Headed UN Gender Equality 2010; first woman President of Chile 2006; imprisoned and tortured by Pinochet; as first President of Union of South American Nations (Unasur) 2008 called summit to mediate in Bolivia; pediatrician.

  • 1952 Kate Donnelly born New Haven, CT. Nonviolence trainer, teacher and publisher. Participant and chronicler of Women and Life on Earth Conference, 1979, and Women's Pentagon Action, 1980. Led War Resisters League (WRL) campaign against war toys; edited WRL Handbook for Nonviolent Action, 1989. Recipient War Resisters League Award, 2001.

  • 1961 Anne Marie Goetz. Professor of Global Affairs, New York Univ., teaching peacemaking and peace building; Policy Director at UNIFEM 2005-11, at UN Women 2011-14; field work UNDP Chad, Guinea; feminist; promoted woman as head of UN and overdue global women’s conference.

Women's peacemaking on this day

  • 1870 Suffrage convention Boston declared: "Taxation without representation is tyranny."

  • 1909 Women's garment strike began Manhattan with walkout at Leiserson's.

  • 1911 Alma Dolens led Italian protest against war in Libya.

  • 1992 Margaret Anstée appointed first woman to head of UN mission, Angola.

  • 2005 Heide Göttner-Abendroth organized the Societies of Peace Conference in San Marcos, Texas.