Women peacemakers born today

1877 Jeanne Melin born Carignan, Ardennes, France (d. 1964). French novelist and poet; absolute pacifist and feminist; co-founder WILPF; opposed both World Wars and Cold War; founded Association for Peace through Law 1901; advocated peace education 1907; ran for President 1947.

1897 Lenore G. Marshall born New York, NY (d. 1971). Jewish novelist, poet and pacifist leader of American Friends Service Committee; co-founded SANE 1956; WILPF activist. Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize supports world peace 1975.

1913 Valerie Taylor born Aurora, IL (d. 1997). Lesbian poet and novelist; Socialist; Quaker pacifist; active in WILPF; early protests against Vietnam War.

1933 Ela Bhatt born Ahmedabad, India. Indian lawyer; Gandhian leader of SEWA women's social service organization; won Alternative Nobel Prize 1984; Niwano Peace Prize 2010; Indira Gandhi Peace Prize 2011; co-founded Women's World Banking 1979.

1964 María Fernanda Espinosa Garces born Salamanca, Spain. Poet and diplomat. Ecuadorian Foreign Minster, 2007; UN Ambassador, 2008-11; Ecuadorian Defense Minister, 2012-present. Closed US base at Manta, 2007; as Permanent Representative to UN, opposed responsibility to protect, 2008; as Defense Minister, promised to close half of military bases and turn them into public places like parks, 2014.

Women's peacemaking on this day

1931 Chinese literary scholar Low Kuang-lai became the first non-European woman delegate to the League of Nations.
1968 American women's movement re-ignited in 200 woman protest Miss America contest Atlantic City.
1975 First call of UNIFEM to change lives of women in lesser developed lands.
1996 Wendy Leitner and Claire Miller arrested in Norfolk, VA for protest launching carrier H.S.Truman. "Love your enemies—Don't prepare to kill them!"
2007 Tina Richards arrested at White House for Iraq War protest.