September 9

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Women peacemakers born today

  • 1806 Sarah Mapps Douglass born Philadelphia, PA (d. 1882). Black abolitionist educator and headmistress; co-founder Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society 1833; led desegregation of Quaker meetings, and promoted education of black women.

  • 1872 Sarala Devi Chaudhurani born Jorasanko, Calcutta (d. 1945). Indian nationalist leader, "Bengal's Joan of Arc"; favorite of Gandhi; feminist; singer and composer; polyglot writer; teacher and social reformer (dowry); Theosophist.

  • 1885 Clare Frewen Sheridan born London (d. 1970). Pacifist sculptress and writer; made bust of Gandhi (1951); sculpture Woman Leading a Blind Soldier.

  • 1931 Olga del Valle Márquez born Villa la Trinidad, Tucumán, Argentina (d. 2005). Founded and led Mothers of the Plaza in Jujuy. Nobel Peace Prize nominee, 2005.

  • 1934 Sonia Sanchez born Birmingham, AL. Black poet and playwright; civil rights leader of CORE; pioneer professor of Black studies 1967; Lucretia Mott Award of Nat. Endowment for the Arts 1984; won WILPF Peace & Freedom award 1989; leader of Madre; arrested 2006 for protest at recruiting for Iraq.

  • 1937 Sarah Harder born Chicago, IL. President National Peace Foundation 2000; feminist professor; president AAUW 1985-9; President of Women for Meaningful Summit encouraging end of Cold War 1990; co-chaired the 1990 Soviet-American Women's Summit; leader of International Federation of University Women and NOW; promoted UN peacemaking and gender equality; peacemaking in Caucasus 1992. Coined term "feminization of power."

Women's peacemaking on this day

  • 1980 Molly Rush and Anne Montgomery co-founded Plowshares in King of Prussia protest.

  • 1989 First Conference of Women in Black, Kibbutz Hotel, Jerusalem.

  • 2000 Five nuns of "Sacred Earth & Space Plowshares" arrested Peterson CO AFB for hammering fighter plane.

  • 2007 Cape Town Mayor Helen Zille arrested for protest against drug dealers.

  • 2007 Soka Gakkai Women's Peace Committee (WPC) hosted "Culture of Peace Forum for Mothers and Children," Tokyo.

  • 2015 Seven Hawaiian women arrested for blocking road to sacred mountain Mauna Kea.