Today in history

January 21

1661
The Quaker (Friends) Peace Testimony was presented to King Charles II of England.
The testimony begins: “We utterly deny all outward wars and strife and fightings with outward weapons, for any end or under any pretence whatsoever. And this is our testimony to the whole world…”

1938
Emma Tenayuca leads San Antonio pecan shellers on the largest labor walk-out held to date.

1961
Spanish, Portuguese & South American activists hijack Portuguese liner “Santa Maria” to protest the Franco & Salazar dictatorships.

1976
The Continental Walk for Disarmament & Social Justice began in Ukiah, California, headed for Washington, D.C.

The walk took 10 months and covered 8,000 miles through 34 states until it reached the Pentagon where 53 people were arrested. Among the arrested, Daniel Ellsberg, former Pentagon employee who released the classifed “Pentagon Papers” to the New York Times in 1971.

1980
Women for Peace founded, Norway (1980)

1984
Women’s resistance camp set up, Volkel airbase, the Netherlands.

1997
60 protesters with bathrobes, shower caps, & toothbrushes traipse through upscale stores in downtown Seattle, looking for a place to take a shower, in a protest drawing attention to City Council plans to kill a proposed downtown public hygiene center that could be used by the homeless.

2005
Thousands in Washington, D.C. and across the country protest during Bush’s second inauguration.