Kelsey Juliana

Overview

Kelsey Juliana born Eugene, OR March 18, 1996. Teenage climate activist. Filed suit against US for climate damage, 2016.

Quotations

“This work must be done out of love. Motivation and activism and advocacy cannot come from rage or anger or hopelessness. These feelings are unsustainable, short-lived and detrimental for those harboring them, which will then, most likely, be reflected in one's work and therefore inhibit true, lasting positive change. We cannot push society towards more positive, inclusive, sustainable directions without LOVE as the main driver of activism because you cannot burn out of love.” (Americans Who Tell the Truth; photo billmoyers.com)

Emily Johnston

Overview

Emily Johnston born San Diego, CA August 9, 1974. Nonviolent environmental activist; editor and poet. Protested Vietnam War. Organized blockade of oil trains, Anacortes, WA, 2014. Arrested for closing pipeline, Clearbrook, MN, 2016; shutting pipeline, Brevard, FL, 2018.

Quotations

“I’m not courageous or brave. . . I’m just more afraid of climate change than I am of prison.” (New York Times Magazine, Feb. 13, 2018)

“One of our biggest challenges—not just as poets and teachers, but as human beings—is finding ways to face violence with compassion; to allow violence to open us to recognizing our inevitable, irreversible connections with one another.” (“Women Write Resistance”, Spoon River Poetry Review, Dec. 2013; photo Grand Forks Herald)

Helen John

Overview

Helen John born Romford, Essex, England September 30, 1937 (d. 2017). Midwife; leading British peace protester for three decades. Co-founded Greenham Women’s Peace Camp, 1981. Repeated protests at US spy base Menwith Hill, Yorkshire, where she established women’s peace camp “Womenwith Hill,” resulting in many arrests and jailing 7 days, 1988; 6 months, 1995; 17 days, 2000. Vice-chair, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, 2001-05. Nobel Peace Prize nominee, 2005. Protested drones at Withington base, 2013.

Quotations

“[T]he only effective protests have been where direct action is taken. We have to demonstrate at the bases where the killing capacity exists—we have to attack it at source. These are the eyes and ears of the US war fighting machine and they are on our soil.” (Independent, April 5, 2006; photo theguardian)

Kirthi Jayakumar

Overview

Kirthi Jayakumar born Bangalore, India December 15, 1987. Women’s rights activist and peace educator; artist, author, and playwright. Graduate of UN Peace University, Costa Rica. Founded Red Elephant Foundation peacebuilding initiative, 2013.

Quotations

“We are so, so, so bereft of compassion that as a race, we fight for vested interests and claim lives as we do it. It’s incredibly sad that we are such warring people, and not peace-loving.” (Thinkerviews interview, Mar. 9, 2018; photo amazon.com)

Martha Larsen Jahn

Overview

Martha Larsen Jahn born Kristiana, Norway April 17, 1875 (d. 1954). Feminist librarian; Norwegian peace leader. WILPF founding member, 1915. First president of Norwegian WILPF, 1916; board member of WILPF international, 1919-29; chair of Norwegian WILPF, 1925-34. Norwegian delegate to League of Nations, 1925-26. Gathered 80,000 signatures for disarmament, 1932. Resisted Nazi occupation; postwar opposition to nuclear weapons.

Quotations

“This international Congress of Women recognizes that an international strike of women against all kinds of war can only be effective if taken up internationally. This congress therefore urges the national sections take up work for an international agreement between women to refuse their support of war in money, work, or propaganda.” (adopted WILPF congress, Vienna, 1921; photo norsk biograf lexicon)

Atifete Jahjaga

Overview

Atifete Jahjaga born Ðakovica, Yugoslavia April 20, 1975. World’s youngest head of state, Kosovo, 2011-17; promoted peace and reconciliation.

Quotations

“The power of women in the politics is a soft power. It is a positive change that our country and other countries in the region. . . are making by giving a chance to women.” (Seattle Times, Mar. 9, 2013; photo Wikipedia)

Jenny Jones

Overview

Jennifer “Jenny” Jones born Brighton, England December 23, 1949. Baroness; archaeologist; Green politician. Deputy Mayor of London, 2002-03. Spoke at rally against Iraq war; arrested for protest at parliament, 2014.

Quotations

“The police have a duty to facilitate peaceful protest in this country which people have a legal right to do, but that appears to end as soon as you come within shouting distance of the Westminster village. The people who run this country should not be able to tuck demonstrators away out of sight. Parliament needs to listen and people should have the right to get their voices heard.” (The Guardian, Oct. 21, 2014)

“We heard this week from the head of the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir David Richards, that the war in Afghanistan is unwinnable, so the Time to Go demo will be the voice of common sense, representing the 75% of the British public which believes that the war should end now and the troops should come home.” (Green Party, Nov. 20, 2010; photo Wikipedia)

Suzanne Jabbour

Overview

Suzanne Jabbour born Ardeh, Zghorta, Lebanon September 13, 1960. Lebanese human rights activist; psychologist; co-founded Restart Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence and Torture 1996; Council of Europe North South Prize 2013; President of International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) 2012; vice chair UN committee on torture; aided refugees from Syrian war.

Quotations

“[T]he abhorrent, inhuman and useless crime of torture. When victims are being tortured, they are not tortured alone; their families are tortured, torn and often irreversibly broken. When torture happens a whole society is tortured, a country is tortured, humanity is tortured.” (acceptance speech, North South Prize, 2014; photo IRCT)

Rosemarie Jackowski

Overview

Rosemarie Jackowski born Luzerne, PA March 20, 1937. Advocacy journalist and teacher. As one of the “Bennington Twelve,” arrested for peaceful Iraq War protest, Bennington, VT, 2003; conviction overturned by state supreme court.

Quotations

“My protest was really and truly one of the most difficult things I've ever done. I didn't do much, just stood in silence, but it was excruciatingly difficult to stand up to authority like that. Next time will be easier. . . I think everyone should be protesting until we get all of the soldiers home, all of them." (Times-Argus, Nov. 23, 2006; photo mwcnews)

Helen Hunt Jackson

Overview

Helen Hunt Jackson born Amherst, MA October 15, 1830 (d. 1885). Poet and author; defender of Native American rights; opposed Indian wars.

Quotations

"Wiping out the disgrace to us of the present condition of our Indians (requires that) cheating, robbing, breaking promises—these three are clearly things which must be done. . . and. . . the refusal of the protection of the law to the Indian's rights of property, 'of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.'" (Century of Dishonor, p. 342; photo NYPL wiki pd)

Mahalia Jackson

Overview

Mahalia Jackson born Hearn, TX October 26, 1911 (d. 1972). Leading singer of protest songs; civil rights leader who bailed out Martin Luther King, Jr.

Quotations

"In this world you got to have a made-up mind. . . No straddling the fence." (Donloe bio, p. 131; photo Gozamos, May 11, 2011)

Rebecca Cox Jackson

Overview

Rebecca Cox Jackson born Hornstown, PA February 15, 1795 (d. 1871). African-American pacifist preacher; Eldress of Philadelphia Shaker community.

Sheila Jackson-Lee

Overview

Sheila Jackson-Lee born Queens, NY January 12, 1950. US Representative, 1995. Opposed Iraq War; arrested at Sudan embassy for Darfur protest, 2006; led opposition to Afghan war.

Quotations

"This war is a terrible tragedy, and it is time to bring it to an end." (May 7, 2007; photo Wikipedia)

Betty Muther Jacob

Overview

Betty Muther Jacob born September 5, 1900 (d. 1993). Quaker "Godmother of Peace Studies" Univ. of Hawaii; founded Matsunaga Institute for Peace 1986, International Center for Democracy; assistant to executive directors of UNRRA, 1945-46, UNICEF, 1947-54.

Quotations

"Above all nations is humanity." (motto of Matsunaga Institute; photo Star Bulletin)

Aletta Jacobs

Overview

Aletta Henriëtte Jacobs born Sappemeer, Netherlands February 9, 1854 (d. 1929). First Dutch female physician; militant pacifist. Helped organize and hosted WILPF at Hague Congress, 1915.

Quotations

"Yes, the women will do it. They don't feel as men do about war. Men think of the economic results; women think of the grief and pain, and the damage to the race. If we can bring women to feel that internationalism is higher than nationalism, then they won't stand by governments, they'll stand by humanity." (1915 in Foster, Women for All Seasons pp. 16-17; 1915 photo Wikipedia)

Madeleine Jacquemotte-Thonnart

Overview

Madeleine Jacquemotte-Thonnart born Liège, Belgium June 30, 1907 (d. 2000). Belgian educator; communist resister. Committed activist; member of WILPF and League of Women Against War and Imperialism. Arrested and sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp, 1944; repatriated, 1945. Opposed wars in Vietnam, Cambodia and Nicaragua. (photo carcob.eu)

Janet Rosenberg Jagan

Overview

Janet Rosenberg Jagan born Chicago, IL October 20, 1920. Socialist; jailed for Guyana's independence, 1954; UN delegate 1993; awarded Gandhi Peace Prize, 2003; first female president of Guyana, 1997.

Quotations

"Women must join in the struggle to bring about political and socio-economic changes so that there will be equal opportunities for all, so that we can end unemployment, poverty and hunger, so that genuine democratic institutions can flourish, so that our women can be free and equal citizens in the countries in which they live." (Barbados, Sept. 1975; photo Daily Grand & Sundry)

Bianca Jagger

Overview

Bianca Jagger (née Pérez Mora-Macias) born Managua, Nicaragua May 2, 1945. Human rights activist, following Gandhi's example. Opposed US intervention in Nicaragua; opposed death penalty. Received Right Livelihood Award, 2004; World Citizenship Award from The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, 2005; Office of the Americas Peace and Justice Award, 2006; Council of Europe Goodwill Ambassador.

Quotations

On the bombing of Serbia: "The killing of innocent people is always wrong." (Kurt Jacobsen interview, 2003; photo architectsofpeace.org)

Asma Jahangir

Overview

Asma Jahangir born Lahore, Pakistan January 27, 1952. Human rights leader; UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, 2004-10. Led campaigns against domestic violence and military rule; arrested and beaten, 1983; arrested, 2004. Awarded Magsaysay Prize, 1995; awarded UNESCO/Bilbao Prize, 2010 ; Right Livelihood Award, 2014.

Quotations

"I devoted my life to marginalised and oppressed people. . . I will not be deterred." (Asianews.it, June 20, 2012)

"The parliament will have to be more forceful and also begin to realize that they [the army] can’t hold the economy of this country hostage, foreign policy hostage." (Aug. 13, 2011; 2010 photo Wikipedia)

Marie-Luise Jahn

Overview

Marie-Luise Jahn born Sandlack, East Prussia (now Sȩdławki, Poland) May 28, 1918 (d. 2010). Peace advocate; physician. Member of anti-Nazi White Rose resistance; sentenced to 12 years hard labor, 1944.

Quotations

"Our people stand ready to rebel against the National Socialist enslavement of Europe in a fervent new breakthrough of freedom and honor." (conclusion of last White Rose leaflet she distributed in Hamburg; photo Wikipedia)