It has been fitting in these past months to commemorate the men who were conscientious objectors to war and militarism a century ago. But some may wonder “What about the women? Were they not engaged at all in resisting war and the evils that came from it?” This talk by archivist Anne Yoder will highlight some of the stories of women who were indeed conscientious objectors in their own right, whether on a small scale in supporting the men they knew who were C.O.s, or on a national and global scale in 1914-1920. These women will include Jane Addams, Jeannette Rankin, Mary Stone McDowell, A. Ruth Fry, and Elizabeth Weaver, among others.
The exhibit Voices of Conscience: Peace Witness in the Great War will be open for final viewing after the program.
Anne M. Yoder, a former board member for the Mennonite Historians of Eastern Pennsylvania, has lived in the Philadelphia area for 24 years. She has been the sole archivist for the Swarthmore College Peace Collection during that time, specializing in WWI and WWII conscientious objection archival collections. Her latest project is a website featuring the letters, diaries and statements of WWI C.O.s [http://cosandgreatwar.swarthmore.edu]. Ms. Yoder is a member of the West Philadelphia Mennonite Fellowship.”