Zorica Mršević

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Overview

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Zorica Mršević born Belgrad, Serbia October 7, 1954. Law professor, feminist, human rights activist. National Deputy Ombudsman, 2008-11.

Quotations

“The opposite of war is not peace, but creativity.” (2000, in Sandra Morgen, ed., Security Disarmed, p. 45)

“The tolerance of domestic violence in Serbian society contributed to the proliferation of atrocities committed by combatants on and off the battlefield. In other words, we have here the famous question: ‘which came first, the chicken or the egg?’ The violence of war and the violence of everyday life in Serbian society were locked in a cycle of mutual causation.” (Journal of International Institute, Summer 1997; photo mc.rs)

Aino Malmberg

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Overview

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Aino Malmberg (née Perenius) born Hollola, Finland, Russia February 24, 1865 (d. 1933). Finnish patriot and writer; feminist, socialist. Opposed World War I; sailed on Ford Peace Ship to stop War, 1915.

Quotations

“The old civilization will be destroyed. . . women and workers [should build] a cleaner world.” (London, Aug. 4, 1914 in Douglas Allen, At Daggers Drawn, p. 22; photo Wikipedia)

Carmen Magallón

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Overview

Carmen Magallón Portales born Alcañiz, Teruel, Aragon, Spain December 29, 1951. Spanish professor of physics and chemistry, specializing in women and peace, on which she wrote two books; Director Research Seminar Foundation for Peace 2003; president Spanish WILPF 2011; co-founder Zaragosa Women in Black; co-publisher of magazine En Pie de Paz; Nicaraguan Order of Peace Martin Luther King 2013.

Quotations

“It is not easy to unlearn violence. The transmitted history and international scene become news have paid the belief that violence is necessary to achieve certain goals. It is not like this. Violence is a drag on the development of free and democratic societies. And if it seems to achieve its objectives, these are contaminated beyond recognition.” (WILPF Spain directors; photo seipaz.org)

Theresa Serber Malkiel

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Overview

Theresa Serber Malkiel born Bar, Ukraine, Russia May 1, 1874 (d. 1949). American Socialist organizer of women workers; opposed World War I; Women’s Peace Party executive; early leader WILPF.

Quotations

“The judges and the police make the mistake of their lives if they hope to stop us by keeping up this jail business—every arrest makes a firm convert to the cause.” (Mary, Diary of a Shirtwaist Striker; photo marxistsfr.org)

Dacia Maraini

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Overview

Dacia Maraini born Fiesole, Florence, Italy November 13, 1936. Italian author, playwright, poet; interned in Japanese concentration camp 1943-6; novel Women in War 1975.

Quotations

“Possession of weapons leads sooner or later to use them. For this it’s 'useful to the community' not to grant permission to citizens to use weapons. In countries where the permit is extended to ordinary citizens, as happens in the United States, and it’s seen these weapons are used: for private crimes, massacres of innocent people perpetrated by crazy people, or criminal assaults. . . Therefore we say that we must abolish the trade in firearms that are 'already' too extensive. Weapons do not speak, they kill. We are for dialogue.” (idiologo.org, Sept. 26, 2005; photo Wikipedia)

Mara Marinaki

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Overview

Mara Marinaki born Thessaloniki, Greece June 9, 1957. European Ambassador and Principal Adviser on Gender 2015; Greek diplomat ; achieved 50/50 ratio of woman heads of European field missions 2016.

Quotations

“[W]hen women are at the peace table -the probability of a peace agreement lasting at least two years increases by 20 per cent, and 35 per cent over 15 years.” (UN Security Council, Oct. 13, 2015; photo UNA New York)

Ermira Mehmeti

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Overview

Ermira Mehmeti born Skopje, Yugoslavia October 6, 1979. Albanian member of Macedonian Parliament; peacemaker in postwar reconciliation. Nobel Peace Prize nominee, 2005.

Quotations

On her message: “Peace and democracy are the crucial values that can bring the country into Europe, that diversity strengthens the nation and is the cornerstone of this young democracy, and that reconciliation must be promoted.” (World People's Blog; photo ljampress.com)

Lise Meitner

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Overview

Lise Meitner born Vienna, Austria-Hungary November 7, 1878 (d. 1968). Austrian physicist called “Mother of the Atomic Bomb.” First woman full professor Berlin; exiled as Jew 1938; lifelong pacifist.

Quotations

“I will have nothing to do with a bomb!” (1943, in Ruth Sime, Lise Meitner: A Life in Physics)

"Women have a great responsibility and they are obliged to try, so far as they can, to prevent another war. I hope that the construction of the atom bomb not only will help to finish this awful war, but that we will be able to also use this great energy that has been released for peaceful work." (Eleanor Roosevelt interview, NBC, Aug. 9, 1945, in Patricia Rife, p. 253; photo New York Times)

Eugenie Meller-Miskolczy

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Overview

Eugénie Meller-Miskolczy born Budapest, Hungary January 14, 1872 (d. 1944/5). Hungarian Jewish feminist leader; suffragist; writer; pacifist; opposed WWI; active in WILPF. Arrested and sent to Kistarcsa concentration camp, July 1944.

Quotations

"[The Council of the League of Nations is] an imperialist corporation of the Great Powers." (Rupp, Worlds of Women, p. 213, 1933; 1939 photo http://bit.ly/AuzMl2)

Valentina Melnikova

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Overview

Valentina Melnikova born Moscow February 28, 1946. Founding head of Committee of Soldiers Mothers of Russia (CSMR), 1989; chair of United People's Party of Soldiers' Mothers. Opposed Chechen War, 1994; participated in Mother’s March for Life and Compassion, 1995; opposed 10,000 Russian troops in Ukraine, 2014. Received Sean MacBride Peace Prize, 1995.

Quotations

"[Putin is] violating not only international laws, not only the Geneva Convention, [he] also is breaking Russian Federation law about defense. . . and as for [commander-in-chief of the Russian airborne troops] Vladimir Shamanov, we should be too disgusted to even mention his name—he forces his servicemen to fight in a foreign state, Ukraine, illegally, while mothers receive coffins with their sons, anonymously." (Daily Beast, Aug. 28, 2014; photo droppingknowledge.org)

Lidia Menapace

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Overview

Lidia Menapace (née Brisca) born Novara, Italy April 3, 1924. Peace activist; feminist politican; Senator 2006; pacifist teacher; essay on non-violence 2004; co-founded Permanent Women’s Convention Against War; joined unarmed resistance to Mussolini; critic of Israeli occupation; opposed NATO, favoring a neutral Europe.

Quotations

“We urge you to immediately sign on to the legislation to impeach Dick Cheney to prevent a disaster for mankind.” (author of letter of 14 Italian Senators, Aug. 1, 2007)

“I also believe that non-violent methods are more effective than violent ones: you have to be trained, continually narrowing the use of weapons to 'resolve disputes.'” (Per Lunga Vita, May 3, 2012; photo barinedita.it)

Alda Merini

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Overview

Alda Merini born Milan, Italy March 21, 1931 (d. 2009). Italian poetess; wrote antiwar songs, including “The Albatross”.

Quotations

I was a bird
by gentle white belly
someone cut my throat
to laugh about
I do not know.
I was a big albatross
and travelling on the seas
someone stopped my trip
without any sound charity.
But even lying on the ground
I sing for you now
my love songs.

(“The Albatross”; photo ilgiorno.it)

Manuela Mesa

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Overview

Manuela Mesa Peinado born Jaén, Andalusia, Spain June 29, 1964. Professor of peace studies and education; founding director Centre for Education and Research for Peace (CEIPAZ) 2008; President Spanish Research Association for Peace (AIPAZ) 2007-13; Director Peace Research Center (CIP) 2004-7; vice president WILPF Spain 2011.

Quotations

“[P]roblems require global solutions and they cannot be solved in the frame of a state-centric world order. . . A “new multilateralism” is necessary, based on more effective, representative and legitimate supranational framework of governance, which seek solutions and alternatives to the world‘s problems. The future of world order shall be multilateral, or not at all.” (CEIPAZ, comments on Falk’s paper: the second coming of WOMP; photo wilpf.es)

Roberta Metsola

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Overview

Roberta Metsola Tedesco Triccas born St. Julian’s, Malta January 18, 1957. Maltese lawyer specializing in European law; involved in drafting European constitution 2004, Lisbon Treaty 2007; legal adviser to first European Foreign Minister Catherine Ashton 2012-4; member European Parliament 2013ff.; co-author of report on refugee crisis 2016.

Quotations

“From a union of shared values, we must now become a union of shared responsibility. . . greater commitment is needed in solving the geo-political issues that affect the root causes of migration—war, poverty, corruption, hunger and a lack of opportunities means people will still feel forced to flee to Europe unless Europe also looks at how to help re-build those countries.” (text and photo, epp group, Jan. 19, 2016)

Simona Miculescu

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Overview

Simona-Mirela Miculescu born Satu Mare, Romania July 4, 1959. Romanian diplomat; its first female ambassador; “Singing Diplomat” founded “Ambassadors Sing for Peace”; OSCE info office Kosovo 1999–2000; wartime adviser Iraq government Baghdad 2006-7; Vice-President UNICEF Executive Board 2008-9, Vice-President Assembly International Criminal Court 2010, Chair Special Political and Decolonization Committee UN General Assembly 2011, Vice-President of the UN General Assembly 2013, Chair UN Commission for Social Development 2015-6.

Quotations

“[W]e must all acknowledge that we need a partnership between men and women for advancing human rights, peace and development. We have to bring the other part of the team at the table if we want to genuinely achieve our objectives of reaching gender equality and women’s empowerment, as well as the sustainable development of our societies.” (March 26, 2015, Notre Dame of Maryland Univ.; photo Wikipedia)