Ottoline Morrell (née Cavendish-Bentinck) born Marylebone, London June 16, 1873 (d. 1938). British pacifist leader of Bloomsbury group opposed to World War I, gave farm work to conscientious objectors.
"I would like to do all in my strength in the years to come for the cause of universal peace." (to Bertrand Russell on outbreak of war, Aug. 7, 1914; photo Wikipedia)
Edita Morris (née Edith Toll) born Örebro, Sweden March 5, 1902 (d. 1988). Swedish-American pacifist author. Founded Hiroshima House of Rest with her husband for survivors of nuclear blast, 1957. Published popular novel The Flowers of Hiroshima, 1959. Published novel Love to Vietnam, chronicling the romance between a hibakusha war photographer and a napalm-burned Vietnamese girl, 1968. Following her death, her estate endowed the Hiroshima Foundation for Peace and Culture, 1989. Opposed nuclear weapons and the Cold War.
“Twenty thousand people lie at the bottom of the river. Like Mom, they rushed in flames in the waters. People come today to lay flowers on the surface of the river. It is the only tomb where they can bloom.” (The Flowers of Hiroshima; 1936 portrait by Von Dardel)
Sybil Morrison born January 5, 1893 (d. 1994). Pacifist; feminist; lesbian; chair of British WILPF. Jailed 6 months for opposing war, 1940; released book entitled I Renounce War, 1962.
"I suddenly saw that war made yet another impact on human beings; it deprived them of their humanity. I became a pacifist then and nothing has happened since to alter my conviction that war is a crime against God and humanity." (Kay Camp, Listen to the Women, p. 38; photo Wikipedia)
Marjorie “Mo” Mowlam born Watford, Hertfordshire, England September 18, 1949 (d. 2005). British politician. Member of Parliament, 1987-2001; Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, 1997-99. Helped negotiate Good Friday Peace Agreement, ending the Troubles, 1998.
"Everyone has got to give a little. No-one is going to get 100% of what they want. If everybody is willing to accept some change, we can do it." (BBC news, Aug. 19, 2005)
Ellen Moxley born Nanjing, China December 3, 1935. Scottish citizen; Quaker pacifist; zoologist. Worked with Friends in Vietnam; took part in Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament protests; founded Dunblane Peace House, 1987; tried and acquitted for damaging British Trident Plowshares nuclear weapons facility Maytime, Loch Goil, Scotland, 1999. Recipient of Right Livelihood award, 2001; awarded Gandhi Peace Prize, 2004.
"We feel that it is our responsibility, as global citizens, to take nonviolent, safe, accountable and practical action to disarm these nuclear weapons ourselves." (joint defense notes Trident Plow.; new photo Right Livelihood)
Gael Murphy born Paris, France February 10, 1954. Former Foreign Service Officer, aid worker, and Peace Corps volunteer. American co-founder and international coordinator of social justice organization Code Pink. Coordinated Women's Peace Vigil, 2002; arrested for protest at Republican National Convention, 2004.
"We are starting this campaign of ‘extralegal lobbying'—nonviolent civil disobedience—at the offices of our Representatives and Senators who refuse to publicly pledge their vote against Bush’s request for an additional $100 billion for the war." (Code Pink, Feb. 12, 2007)
"Don't go to war with Iran. . . What laws have they broken?" (New York Sun, Oct. 25, 2008; photo http://bit.ly/J2ccqW)
Mary Middleton Murry (née Gamble) born Lincolnshire, England August 4, 1897 (d. 1983). British writer, poet, and peace activist. Speaker for Peace Pledge Union; leader of Women’s Peace Campaign opposing World War II, 1939.
“This campaign is designed not only to give expression to women's revolt against war, but to their demand that the Government should, at the earliest possible moment, use the method of negotiation to secure a lasting peace.” (Dec. 16, 1939, Peace Pledge Union; photo pinterest)
Alva Myrdal (née Reimer) born Uppsala, Sweden January 31, 1902 (d. 1986). Swedish diplomat. First woman to head UNESCO Social Sciences section, 1950-55. Delegate to UN Disarmament Conference, 1962; Swedish Cabinet Minister for Disarmament, 1966-73. Founded Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, 1964. Awarded first Einstein Peace Award, 1980; shared Nobel Peace Prize, 1982. Raised peacemaker daughter Sissela Bok.
“War is murder. And the military preparations now being made for a potential major confrontation are aimed at collective murder.”
“The age in which we live can only be described as one of barbarism. . . Our civilization is in the process not only of being militarized, but also being brutalized.” (Nobel Address, Dec. 11, 1982; 1966 photo Wikipedia)
Women in Peace
is dedicated to highlighting the achievements of extraordinary, peacemaking women from around the world.
