April 2

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Women peacemakers born today

  • 1936 Julieta Casimiro born Huautla de Jiménez, Oaxaca, Mexico. Mazatec leader. Member of International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers.

  • 1940 Carla Brooks Johnston born Rochester, NY (d. 2011). Civic reformer; professor of public policy; environmentalist. Led reform of Somerville, Massachusetts politics, 1966-72; co-founder and historian of Nuclear Freeze, 1980; mayor of Sanibel, Florida, 2005-07.

  • 1943 Annalena Tonelli born Forli, Romagna, Italy (d. 2003). Italian aid worker. Brought the Wagalla Massacre to light; saved Somalis thought to be dead, 1984. Received Nansen Refugee Award, 2003.

  • 1952 Christine Van Den Wyngaert born Antwerp, Belgium. Former singer and songwriter; professor of international law. Judge of World Court in arrest warrant case, 2000-02; judge of Yugoslav War Crimes Tribunal (ICTY), 2003-09; judge International Criminal Court, 2009-present. League of Human Rights prizewinner, 2006.

  • 1955 Maha Chakri Sirindhorn born Bangkok, Thailand. Thai educator. Received Magsaysay Award, 1991; Indira Gandhi Peace Prize, 2004. UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, 2005.

  • 1963 Phan Thi Kim Phuc born Trảng Bàng, Vietnam. Famed as 9-year-old fleeing bombs, 1972. UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, 1994. Founded foundation for child victims of war, 1997.

  • 1971 Christine Buchholz (née Bruchköbel) born Hamburg, Germany. German peace activist. Co-founder of antiwar Left party; Leftist Member of Parliament, 2009. Opposed German arms exports and deployment of troops abroad.

Women's peacemaking on this day

  • 1212 Blessed Agnes of Assisi joined the nonviolent peace community of St. Clare.

  • 1917 Pacifist Jeannette Rankin took her seat in House of Representatives as first woman in the house.

  • 1942 Joyce Allen was first woman brought before British tribunal on conscientious objection. "It's idiotic for a species to go to war. And from a Christian point of view there's no excuse for it. ‘Thou shalt not kill.’"

  • 1971 Following a 10-day, 450-mile hike from Newton, MA, Louise Bruyn arrived at the Capitol to speak out against the Vietnam War. “Stop This War!”

  • 1984 Major Eviction of Women from Greenham failed.

  • 2002 In the West Bank town of Beit Jala, Australian Kate Edwards was shot and severely wounded by the Israeli army during a nonviolent protest by International Solidarity Movement.