Bonita “Bonnie” Caracciolo born Boston, MA November 10, 1951. Peace activist. Co-organizer of Women’s March on the Pentagon, 2018. Maintains blog Vietnam: My War Too.
“If being anti-war is a crime, consider me a career criminal.” (VVAW The Veteran Spring 2014; photo linkedin.com)
Rebecca Janney Timbres Clark born Baltimore, MD May 6, 1896 (d. 2000). Quaker pacifist; nurse. Aided child refugees with American Friends Service Committee, Poland, 1921; delivered famine relief, Russia, 1922. Medical service in Tagore, India, 1931-34; Russia, 1936-77.
“The divine is in every human being born in the world, regardless of race, country, and religious belief, or lack of religion.” (Friends Journal, Feb. 1, 1985; photo AFSC)
Sabina Čehajić-Clancy born Sarajevo, Bosnia, Yugoslavia June 9, 1980. Psychology professor; expert in post-conflict reconciliation.
“The importance of intergroup contact for the process of public acknowledgment of one's group responsibility for committed atrocities. . . affirming a positive aspect of the self can increase one's willingness to acknowledge ingroup responsibility for wrongdoings against others, express feelings of group-based guilt, and consequently provide greater support for reparation policies.” (“On Moral Responsibility”, Mar. 9, 2018)
“Studies showed significant positive changes after the contact interventions that highlighted and focused on documented stories of individuals (moral exemplars) saving the lives of their adversaries. We found that focusing on moral exemplars increased reconciliatory beliefs due to enhanced forgiveness.” (“Fostering reconciliation through historical moral exemplars”, Journal of Peace Psychology, Aug. 2017; photo Association for Psych. Science)
Amal Clooney (née Alamuddin) born Beirut, Lebanon February 3, 1978. British-Lebanese human rights lawyer. Clerk at International Court of Justice, 2004; adviser to UN tribunals for Lebanon and Yugoslavia; Syria, 2013, drones, 2014.
“[S]tand up for justice. Every conflict reminds us that there can be no lasting peace without justice. A lack of accountability simply leads to continuing cycles of vengeful violence.” (to UN, March 9, 2017; photo Wikipedia)
Severn Cullis-Suzuki born Vancouver, BC, Canada November 30, 1974. ”The Girl Who Silenced the World for 5 Minutes.” Environmental activist. Addressed UN Earth Summit, 1992.
“[I]f all the money spent on war was spent on finding environmental answers, ending poverty and finding treaties, what a wonderful place this Earth would be. . . If you don't know how to fix it, please stop breaking it.” (photo pacebutler.org)
Anna Manning Comfort born Trenton, NJ January 19, 1845 (d. 1931); Youngest woman doctor, at age 20, 1865; social reformer defending Native American and Black rights; publicly opposed US imperialism.
"Take up the white man's burden,"—
Yes, Uncle Sam, oh do!
But why seek other countries
Your burdens to renew?
Recall the poor wild Indian
Whom ruthlessly you slew.
"Take up the white man's burden,"—
The negro, once our slave!
Boast lightly of his freedom,
This problem still is grave.
We scoff and shoot and lynch him,
And yet, because he's black,
Why fight the foreign despots,
Or Filipino isles?”
(“Home Burdens of Uncle Sam”, The Public, Syracuse, May 13, 1899, in Liberty Poems; photo Syracuse University)
Henriette Crone born Bakkendrup, Denmark May 2, 1874 (d. 1933). Danish union organizer; democratic Socialist. WILPF founding member, 1915; founding member, Women's Peace Party, 1916, Member of national legislature, 1920-33. (photo lelscikon.org)
Margaret Postgate Cole born Cambridge, England May 6, 1893 (d. 1980). British pacifist poet; leading Fabian Socialist; feminist. Opposed World War I; promoted conscientious objection.
Today, as I rode by,
I saw the brown leaves dropping from their tree
In a still afternoon,
When no wind whirled them whistling to the sky,
But thickly, silently,
They fell, like snowflakes wiping out the noon;
And wandered slowly thence
For thinking of a gallant multitude
Which now all withering lay,
Slain by no wind of age or pestilence,
But in their beauty strewed
Like snowflakes falling on the Flemish clay.
(“The Falling Leaves”, Nov. 1915; photo Spartacus)
Anne Cobden-Sanderson born London, England March 26, 1853 (d. 1926). British suffragist; socialist. Early WILPF leader. Arrested for suffrage protest, 1906; served one month of two-month sentence at Holloway Prison. Arrested again, 1909, 1910. Co-founded Women’s Tax Resistance League, 1909. Signed women pacifist friendship to German women, 1917. Opposed World War I.
“We have talked so much for the Cause now let us suffer for it. . . I am a law breaker because I want to be a law maker.” (at trial, Oct. 1909; photo Spartacus.com)
Helen Chenevix born Blackrock, Ireland November 13, 1886 (d. 1963). Irish suffragist, Quaker, and trade union leader. Worked for world peace and nuclear disarmament with partner Louie Bennett in WILPF, Fellowship of Reconciliation, and Irish Pacifist League. Gave refuge to Jews, 1937; postwar vice president of Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. (photo with Louie Bennett, wikicommons)
Casey Camp-Horinek born Nebraska June 6, 1948. Native American (Ponca) leader; board member of Women’s Earth & Climate Action Network, International (WECAN). Drafted first International Indigenous Women’s Treaty, protecting Rights of Nature, Paris, 2015. Arrested for nonviolent protest at Standing Rock, 2017. Spoke at the UN Forum on Indigenous Issues.
“Life on Mother Earth is in danger and coming to a time of great transformation. As Indigenous Peoples, from the global South and North, we are accepting the responsibility designated by our prophecies to tell the world that we must live in peace with each other and Mother Earth to ensure the harmony within Creation.” (Jan. 17, 2014, Quito Ecuador; photo moms clean airforce)
Carmen Casco de Lara Castro born Asunción, Paraguay June 17, 1918 (d. 1993). Paraguayan human rights advocate. Founding president Commission for the Defense of Human Rights; resigned from Chamber of Deputies in protest of violation of presidential term limits, 1977.
“Let us turn [Paraguay] into a country without political prisoners, where justice will reign so fairly that it will shelter everyone, without the cancer of torture carried out by men who get drunk on another person’s pain, as if they had taken drugs. With Christian love we should put an end to hate if we don’t want it to have power over Paraguayans. May God grant that violence finds no inspiration in Paraguay. We must combat treasonous assaults in our country with justice and not with violence.” (Dec. 15, 1977 resignation speech; photo Wikipedia)
Carmen Casco de Lara Castro born Asunción, Paraguay June 17, 1918 (d. 1993). Paraguayan human rights advocate. Founding president Commission for the Defense of Human Rights; resigned from Chamber of Deputies in protest of violation of presidential term limits, 1977.
“Let us turn [Paraguay] into a country without political prisoners, where justice will reign so fairly that it will shelter everyone, without the cancer of torture carried out by men who get drunk on another person’s pain, as if they had taken drugs. With Christian love we should put an end to hate if we don’t want it to have power over Paraguayans. May God grant that violence finds no inspiration in Paraguay. We must combat treasonous assaults in our country with justice and not with violence.” (Dec. 15, 1977 resignation speech; photo Wikipedia)
Carmen Casco de Lara Castro born Asunción, Paraguay June 17, 1918 (d. 1993). Paraguayan human rights advocate. Founding president Commission for the Defense of Human Rights; resigned from Chamber of Deputies in protest of violation of presidential term limits, 1977.
“Let us turn [Paraguay] into a country without political prisoners, where justice will reign so fairly that it will shelter everyone, without the cancer of torture carried out by men who get drunk on another person’s pain, as if they had taken drugs. With Christian love we should put an end to hate if we don’t want it to have power over Paraguayans. May God grant that violence finds no inspiration in Paraguay. We must combat treasonous assaults in our country with justice and not with violence.” (Dec. 15, 1977 resignation speech; photo Wikipedia)
Constance “Connie” Curry born Paterson, NJ July 17, 1933. Civil rights activist and author. Early organizer, first white woman on Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) board, 1960; Great Southern National Student Association organizer, 1953; National Field Representative Collegiate Council for UN, 1960-64; Southern Field Rep. American Friends Service Committee, 1964-73.
“I couldn’t eat with my [black] friends, and knew then that segregation took away my personal freedom as surely as if I were bound by invisible chains.” (1953, in A Woman of the South, p. 5; photo crmvet.org)
Violeta Chamorro born Rivas, Nicaragua October 10, 1929. “The Great Conciliator.” Nicaraguan President 1990-96; newspaper publisher. As first female elected president in Americas, ended 12-year-long Nicaraguan civil war; abolished the draft; halved size of army; bought up weapons and buried them in concrete in Peace Plaza.
“I have no ideology beyond national ‘reconciliation.’” (Anne-Wil Harzing, International Human Resource Management, p. 294; photo escademic)
Estee Chandler born Tarzana, CA October 1, 1964. Actress. Founded Jewish Voice for Peace, Los Angeles, 2010. Arrested for occupying Senator Feinstein’s office to protest pro-Israel policy on Gaza siege, 2014.
“Too many people who are with us are afraid. Ultimately nonviolence is the only thing that has ever won out.” (Haaretz, May 11, 2018)
“There can and will be no peace in the Middle East until there is genuine peace in the lands called Israel and Palestine; and that will only come with equal rights, security and justice for all who live there. For that to become a reality, the status quo has got to go.” (Mondoweiss, Aug. 20, 2014; photo memory alpha)
Dorothy Cotton born Goldsboro, NC January 5, 1930 (d. 2018). Civil rights leader. Education Director, Southern Christian Leadership Conference; tear-gassed by US bombers on visit to Vietnam for Fellowship of Reconciliation.
“I think I lived through the period where we thought we'd get the whole world understanding nonviolence. . . We became the big model for the world. . . We take some pride in that.” (Rob Montana interview, Feb. 2, 2011)
“If a house is burning, and bucket of water is thrown on the blaze and doesn't extinguish the fire, this doesn't mean that water won't put out fire. It means we need more water. And so with nonviolence.”
“The powerful weapon of love and nonviolence that must be used to right the wrong. . . I believe this tool, this philosophy, this spirit and way of nonviolence will successfully take us to the next leg of our journey toward wholeness. I hope the study of nonviolence will become a basic part of the curriculum of our public education system. I’m convinced nonviolence can be successful in working for positive change in our relations with other countries right now.” (If Your Back’s Not Bent, p 5; photo pdaspeaker)
Fanny Jackson Coppin born Washington DC January 8, 1837 (d. 1913). African-American educator; taught Greek, Latin and mathematics. Born a slave. First African-American school principal, 1869. Delegate to missionary conference, London, 1888; followed by European tour. Missionary to Cape Town, South Africa, where she founded Bethel Institute. Spoke at World’s Congress of Representative Women, Chicago, 1893.
“Love wins when everything else will fail. You say that your child resists all your efforts to break him of his bad habits and make him become good. Have you tried kindness? Have you tried love?” (Reminiscences, p. 58)
On Violence in South Africa: “Much wisdom and patience will be required on the part of our ministers and teachers lest they should add to the spirit of unrest that comes of injustice and proscription. Wisdom dictates that by all means a conflict between the races should be avoided. The Europeans, armed and drilled, would have the advantage of all others, and there could be but one result. The Kingdom of God does not proceed in its conquests by the employment of carnal weapons, and right can afford to be patient because it is bound to win in the end.
”The native people have had enough of war. Their vocation in the ages past was to war among themselves, and it would not be difficult to impress them that that is not the way to right their wrongs. But the new life which we offer them is the life of peace and good will.” (Reminiscences, pp. 132-33; photo blackamerica.com)
Queen Charlotte of Great Britain born Lower Castle, Mirow, Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Germany May 19, 1744 (d. 1818). German princess; amateur botanist and patron of Handel and Mozart. George III married her because of her peace appeal to Frederick II the Great, 1761.
“I know Sire, that it seems unbecoming in my sex, in this age of viscous refinement, to feel for one’s country, to lament the horrors of war, or to wish for the return of peace. . . but however unbecoming it may be in me, I cannot resist the desire of interceding for this unhappy people. It was but a few years ago that this territory wore the more pleasing appearance; the country was cultivated, the peasants looked cheerful, and the towns abounded with riches and festivity. What an alteration at present from such a charming scene! . . . sure even conquerors themselves would weep at the hideous prospect now before me. The whole country, my dear country, lies one frightful waste, presenting only objects to excite pity, terror, and despair. The business of the husbandman and the shepherd is quite discontinued; the husbandman and shepherd are become soldiers themselves, and help to ravage the soil they formerly occupied.” (History of Royal Women [potentially forged statement]; photo allemannia)
Jacqueline "Jackie" Cabasso born New York September 10, 1952. Anti-nuclear weapons activist; speaker at NGO conferences on nuclear weapons in China, Brazil, Israel, India. NGO representative to international conferences, 1991-2014. A "founding mother" of Abolition 2000 Global Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons, 1995. Worked with World Court Project on legal status of nuclear weapons, 1995. Core organizer of 40,000-person New York No Nukes! No Wars! March, May 1, 2005; led International Conference for a Nuclear-Free, Peaceful, Just and Sustainable World, NY, 2010. Arrested 50+ times for nonviolent resistance in protest of American nuclear weapons at locales including Livermore Lab, Nevada Test Site, and the White House. Received Sean MacBride Peace Prize, 2008.
"[G]lobal elimination of nuclear weapons is an imperative for our collective survival. And we know that the 'ultimate' elimination of nuclear weapons will never happen unless we demand it now." (Common Dreams, Nov. 25, 2008)
Alicia Cabezudo born Rosario, Argentina October 22, 1957. Leading international peace educator; Italian professor in Argentina; vice-president International Peace Bureau 2010-16.
“Peace is not only defined as absence of war and conflict. It is also a dynamic concept that must be apprehended in positive terms linked to the pursuit of social and economic justice in which everyone plays an active part. It represents an everyday attitude of nonviolent rebellion, of peaceful dissent, a firm determination to defend human rights and human dignity.” (“State of Peace Report” 2012; photo ethicseducation)
Women in Peace
is dedicated to highlighting the achievements of extraordinary, peacemaking women from around the world.
