Esther Faering Menon born Copenhagen, Denmark June 22, 1889 (d. 1962). Danish missionary to India, follower of Gandhi, who called her "My dear child"; nearly deported by British.
"Love and Truth will always conquer in the end and triumph over evil." (April 23, 1919 letter to Gandhi; photo Danish Peace Academy)
Irene Mensalves born Ft. Wayne, IN January 17, 1904. Quaker pacifist; at age of 103, protested against Iraq War with Granny Peace Brigade, Baltimore 2007.
"I'm a pacifist, strictly. . . There has to be negotiation. Why wait until we've killed so many people to negotiate?" (Baltimore Sun, Jan. 3, 2007; photo http://bit.ly/yh8xzH)
Arna Mer-Khamis born Rosh Pina, Galilee, Palestine March 9, 1929 (d. 1995). Jewish peacemaker. Founded In the Defence of Children under Occupation/Care and Learning, 1993. Received Right Livelihood Award for human rights work with refugee children, 1993.
“Our task was never easy. It was not paved with roses but mined with bullets and soldiers, anxious mothers and frightened children whose wounds have yet to heal.” (Right Livelihood Award acceptance speech, Dec. 9, 1993; photo arna.info)
Andrea Cristina Mercado born California January 27, 1979. Co-founded We Belong Together, supporting undocumented immigrants. Organized 100 Women 100 Miles pilgrimage from York detention center to Washington DC to meet Pope Francis, 2015.
“[A]n act of sacrifice and an act of love for our families and for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country. . . We hope that with our walk, we will touch the hearts of Americans across the nation and that the pope’s prayers will also touch the hearts and inspire us as a country to have policies of compassion and not cruelty for migrants.” (Refinery 29, Sept. 21, 2015; photo domesticworkers.org)
Melina Mercouri born Athens, Greece October 18, 1920 (d. 1994). Anti-militarist; actress; singer; leader of Greek resistance to ruling junta, exiled internally.
"It is necessary to choose, war or peace, Hell or paradise." (final lines "Cat and Mouse"; photo 1972 Bernard Brumberg)
Alda Merini born Milan, Italy March 21, 1931 (d. 2009). Italian poetess; wrote antiwar songs, including “The Albatross”.
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)
Eve Merriam (née Eva Moskovitz) born Philadelphia, PA July 19, 1919 (d. 1992). Quaker playwright, poet.
"I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask, 'Mother, what was war?'" (photo masterworksbroadway.com)
Justine Miller Merritt born St. Louis, MO March 31, 1924 (d. 2009). Invented 18-mile peace ribbon around Pentagon, displayed on 40th anniversary of bombing of Hiroshima, 1985.
"What I cannot bear to think of as lost forever in a nuclear war." (Ledger, July 27, 1985; photo wikicommons)
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.
“[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 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.
“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)
Anja Henriette Meulenbelt born Utrecht, Netherlands January 6, 1946. Prominent feminist author and politician; Socialist member of Dutch parliament; promoted peace in Balkans and Palestine; recipient of Journalist for Peace Award, 2004.
"Dare to dream loudly, make dreams visible, bring dreams into practice." (1978, Vandaag, p. 213; photo de.Wikipedia)
Johanne Meyer born Aalborg, Denmark July 1, 1838 (d. 1915). Pioneering radical suffragist; editor and orator; democratic socialist. Founded national Theosophical society. Longtime leader of Danish Peace Society. Tried to present King Christian IX with petition of 230,000 signatures for peace, 1893. Founding member, Danish Women’s Peace Association, 1906. (photo Bing images)
Malwida von Meysenbug born Kassel, Hesse, Germany October 28, 1816 (d. 1903). German writer; feminist and revolutionary. Friend of Wagner, Nietzsche, Mazzini, Rolland. Sympathized with revolutionary forces, 1848. Published Memories of an Idealist, 1869.
"Amore, Pace (Love, Peace)" (inscription on her tomb; photo Wikipedia)
Lina Ben Mhenni born Tunisia May 22, 1983. Blogger. Chronicled Arab Spring revolt in her blog A Tunisian Girl, 2011. Arrested for protest against censorship, 2010. Nobel Peace Prize nominee, 2011; awarded Sean MacBride Peace Prize, 2012.
"It was very dangerous to be a blogger under Ben Ali. . . Of course I had fear, but when I saw people killed by the police I forgot it and it gave me the strength to do my work." (New York Times, Oct. 12, 2011)
Sally Jean Michael Gawel born April 19, 1934 (d. 1999). Radical Northeastern University professor of philosophy who joined student strike after Kent State shootings 1970; worked against Cuba embargo and American Indian imprisonment.
"Pentago! Pentagoing! Pentagon!" (Women's March Against the War, 1971)
Karin Michaëlis born Randers, Jutland, Denmark March 20, 1872 (d. 1950). “The Conscience of Europe.” Prominent Danish writer; radical feminist; pacifist. Worked in famine relief, Austria, World War I. Early critic of Mussolini and Hitler, who banned her books. Took part in antiwar congress Amsterdam, 1932. Gave refuge to Germans, including Bertolt Brecht. Exiled herself, 1940.
“There were so many people who had to flee from Germany, and they didn’t know where they should flee to, and some one or other had said to them: ‘Try Karin Michaëlis.’” (James Lyon, Hans-Peter Breuer, eds., Brecht Unbound, 1995, p. 247; photo allposters.com)
Louise Michel born Vroncourt, Lorraine, France May 29, 1830 (d. 1905). Anarchist; nurse and school teacher; known as "the red virgin of Montmartre." Member of the Paris Commune who stood against French government soldiers; deported to New Caledonia for seven years, 1873-80. Due to anarchist activities, repeatedly arrested and lived in exile, 1890-95.
"We expected to die for liberty. It was as if we were lifted from the earth." (March 18, 1871; photo Wikipedia)
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.
“[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)
Asha-Rose Mtengeti Migiro born Songea, Tanzania July 9, 1956. UN Deputy Secretary General 2007; first woman Foreign Minister of Tanzania 2006; Professor of Law focusing on human rights and regional integration; presided on Great Lakes peace conference.
"We strongly condemn those parties that kill children who wish to opt out of or refuse recruitment. We also condemn all those parties to conflicts that attack schools and hospitals or commit atrocities." (UN Security Council, Feb. 23, 2005; photo word.world-citizenship.org)
Inez Milholland Boissevain born Brooklyn, NY August 6, 1886 (d. 1916). Socialist pacifist suffragist orator; labor lawyer and journalist who sailed on Ford's Peace ship to stop World War I; expelled from Italy for antiwar articles; suffrage icon riding white horse in 1913 parade DC.
Suffragist battle cry: "Mr. President, how long must women wait for liberty?" (Oct. 23, 1916 final speech, Los Angeles; photo Wikipedia)
Women in Peace
is dedicated to highlighting the achievements of extraordinary, peacemaking women from around the world.
