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)

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)

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)

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)

Fasia Jansen

Overview

Fasia Jansen born Hamburg, Germany June 6, 1929 (d. 1997). Afro-German singer; peace activist; anti-nuclear songs “Doomsday”, “Scorched Earth” “road to Aldermaston”, “Singing”; idea of peace tent at Nairobi 1985, followed by tents in Europe with partner Ellen Diederich with whom she toured in Peace Bus in US and Europe.

Quotations

“So I woke up in terror
I decided: it never comes to that!
I decided: You have to make peace—
And nothing other attempt I’ll do!”

(“Doomsday”; photo lyricwikia)

Ann Marie Janson Lang

Overview

Ann Marie Janson Lang born Sweden April 22, 1955. Swedish doctor at Karolynska Institute led WHO case against nuclear weapons at World Court 1996.

Quotations

“What are the pieces of puzzles missing to achieve nuclear abolition, i.e., a total ban on nuclear weapons? . . . It's time to go out and make it clear: ‘Nuclear war—it's Chernobyl and Fukushima with the intention—worse!’" (Lãkartidnigen, Dec. 6, 2006; photo lãkemedelsverket)

Eglantyne Jebb

Overview

Eglantyne Jebb born Ellesmere, Shropshire, England August 25, 1876 (d. 1928). Founded Save the Children 1919 in response to postwar famine; author of Declaration of Rights of Children 1924.

Quotations

"All wars are waged against children." (1919; photo oswestrygenealogy.org)

Karen Jeppe

Overview

Karen Jeppe born Gylling, Denmark July 1, 1876 (d. 1935). "Danish Mother of the Armenians"; teacher who cared for victims of genocide.

Quotations

"Well, then I must apply myself to it, however much I resist." (Memories, p. 14; photo Danish Peace Acad.)

Irène Joliot-Curie

Overview

Irène Joliot-Curie born Paris, France September 12, 1897 (d. 1956). Nobel Chemistry Prize 1930; Cold War pro-Communist pacifist; engaged feminist; suffragette; leader of World Women’s Committee Against War and Fascism 1934; Resistance to Nazis WWII; leader of pacifist Women’s International Democratic Federation (WIDF); supported Stockholm Appeal for Peace 1950; signed Russell-Einstein Call for Peace of Scientists 1955. Opposed use of nuclear material for bombs.

Quotations

On nuclear warfare and her mother, Marie Curie: "Its use for destruction seemed to [mother] a desecration. . . In her eyes any political consideration would not have been an excuse to use the atomic bomb." (encyclopedia.com; photo humantouchofchemistry)

Mary Harris Jones

Overview

Mary Harris Jones AKA Mother Jones born Cork, Ireland May 1, 1830 (d. 1930). "The Miner’s Angel" ; American labor organizer, Socialist; led women’s strike 1900; convicted and exonerated of murder conspiracy 1913.

Quotations

"I am not afraid of the pen, or the scaffold, or the sword. I will tell the truth wherever I please." (Linda Atkinson, Mother Jones, p. 3, 1978; photo motherjonesmuseum.org)

Birgitta Jonsdottir

Overview

Birgitta Jónsdóttir born Reykjavík, Iceland April 17, 1969. "Poetician" and activist. Organized Art Against War protest against Iraq War. Member of Icelandic Parliament for Citizens Party, 2009-13, and Pirate Party, which she founded, 2013-present. Led campaign to support whistleblowing for free speech. 

Quotations

Mountains of starved children
shiny bones
flesh torn off the bodies

Shocked and awed
by the images of mothers
miscarrying their unborn children

Shocked and awed
by the silent fear
countless civilians
dead dead dead

("The Horror of War", March 14, 2003)

Helen Joseph

Overview

Helen Joseph (née Fennell) born Easebourne, West Sussex, England April 8, 1905 (d. 1992). South African nonviolent anti-Apartheid protester; led march of 20,000 women in protest against pass laws Pretoria 1956; first South African put under house arrest.

Quotations

"I. . . don’t doubt for a moment that the revolution will result in a nonracial society. . . White and black together. And it works." (1987 interview with Diana Russell; photo gauteng.net)

Julian of Norwich

Overview

Julian of Norwich born November 8, 1342. English altruist; mystic.

Quotations

"Wrath is not else but a frowardness and a contrariness to peace and love." (1373 Revelations ch. 48; photo Norwich Cathedral)

Juliana of the Netherlands

Overview

Juliana of the Netherlands born The Hague April 30, 1909 (d. 2004). Queen, 1948-1980. One of first acts as ruler was to end war in Dutch East Indies and grant Indonesia independence. Opposed Apartheid, 1949; supported UN and European Unity; criticism of NATO led to split with husband. Sent children to pacifist International Fellowship of Reconciliation School at Bilthoven.

Quotations

"The greater the misery caused by the losses we have sustained, the more deeply do we feel the fraternity of mankind." (Feb. 8, 1953 tribute to peacemaker Lester Pearson; photo electwomen.com)

Roberta Jull

Overview

Roberta Jull (née Stewart) born Glasgow, Scotland August 16, 1872 (d. 1961). Australian physician and social reformer. Internationalist; leader of League of Nations Union. Delegate to League of Nations, 1929. One of 200 women who presented an international petition for peace bearing more than nine million signatures to the World Disarmament Conference, Geneva, 1932.

Quotations

“I do not think that on that day any of us felt arrogant or national. We were conscious of standing there, not as English women, or German women, or Swiss women but simply as women—women who had one desire, the furthering of peace. This must have been realized by those present. Not only did several of the chief delegates. . . refer in their first speeches to the women’s manifestation, but many of them told us afterwards that the presenting of our Declaration was one of the most inspiring scenes they had ever witnessed.

And this was true, but it was not we, the two hundred us present, who made that scene inspiring. The inspiration came from the invisible, silent multitude who stood behind. . . ” (Alison McKinnon, Love and Freedom, 1997, p. 214; photo nla.gov.au)

Mona Juul

Overview

Mona Juul born Steinkjer, Norway April 10, 1958. Norwegian diplomat mediated successful Oslo Peace Accords on Middle East 1993; State Secretary Foreign Affairs 2000-1; Ambassador to Israel 2001-4; UN 2005-10, UK 2014.

Quotations

On Ban Ki-moon: “[He is] a spineless and charmless Secretary-General. . . The result is that the UN is a less visible and relevant actor in various areas where it would have been natural and necessary for the UN to be engaged.” (Aftenpost, Aug. 20, 2009; photo twitter)