March 31

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Women peacemakers born today

  • 1872 Alexandra Kollontai born St. Petersburg, Russia (d. 1952). Soviet diplomat. Credited with ending war with Finland, 1940; opposed World War I.

  • 1872 Leopoldine Kulka born Vienna, Austria (d. 1920). Austrian feminist and writer. Founding member of WILPF; first editor of International Woman Suffrage Alliance (IWSA) magazine Jus Suffragii. Founded Austrian Women's Federation peace party, 1917.

  • 1924 Justine Merritt born St. Louis, MO (d. 2009). Invented 18-mile peace ribbon around Pentagon, displayed on 40th anniversary of bombing of Hiroshima, 1985.

  • 1936 Marge Piercy born Detroit, MI. Antiwar poet. Member of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

  • 1939 Mary B. Anderson born Kentucky. American economist, specializing in international aid; peace researcher. Founded Local Capacities for Peace Project, 1995. Published Do No Harm: How Aid Can Support Peace—Or War, 1997.

  • 1941 Rosario Green born Mexico City, Mexico. Economist; professor; politician. UN Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs, 1994. First woman Secretary of Foreign Affairs, 1998-2000. Served as Mexican Ambassador to East Germany and Argentina.

  • 1950 Smaranda Enache born Târgu Mureş, Romania. Romanian peace activist and human rights advocate; journalist; diplomat. Peacemaker in Balkans; president of Liga Pro Europa.

  • 1952 Irene Chirwa Mambilima born Zambia. Zambian judge; international lawyer. Observed Mozambique elections, 1994; nominated judge of Yugoslav War Crimes Tribunal, 2001; hosted UN workshop on elections, 2007.

  • 1971 Lisalinda Salas Natividad born Guam. Guahan social worker and peace activist; social work professor; President Guahan Coalition for Peace and Justice; crossed Korean DMZ line 2017 in women’s peace protest.

Women's peacemaking on this day

  • 1996 Ursuline sister Dianna Ortiz began a White House vigil to petition the release of U.S. documents relating to Guatemala.

  • 2004 Marianne Williamson co-founded Peace Alliance to promote the establishment of US Department of Peace.

  • 2015 78 women asylum seekers began hunger strike at Karnes Detention Center, Texas.