Marii Hasegawa

Overview

Marii Hasegawa (née Kyogoku), born Tadanoumi, Hiroshima, Japan September 17, 1918 (d. 2012). Peace activist; sent to internment camp during World War II; called "Gentle Woman of a Dangerous Kind." Head of US WILPF, 1971-75. Led peace delegation to Vietnam; early Nike missile protest; promoted meetings of Russian and American women. Awarded Niwano Peace Prize, 1996.

Quotations

"Peace is not just the absence of war, but a world without repression; government which puts people first, with civil rights and civil liberties; an economic system which is not exploitative; housing and education of the kind each person wants; consumerism under control; the environment being helped to recover; universal health care." (Niwano award, 1996; photo Swarthmore Peace Col.)