Williams, Betty (1943–)

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Williams, Betty (1943–)

Irish peace activist. Name variations: Betty Williams Perkins. Born Betty Smyth in Belfast, Northern Ireland, May 22, 1943; dau. of a butcher and a housewife; m. Ralph Williams (engineer in merchant marine), June 14, 1961; immigrated to US where she later remarried; children: (1st m.) Paul and Deborah.

With Mairead Corrigan, co-founded the Irish Peace People movement of mid-1970s, the most successful of several early attempts to create a cross-community alliance against terrorism; after witnessing the tragedy of Anne Maguire and her children (see Corrigan, Mairead), organized the petition calling for the Irish Republican Army (IRA) to cease its campaign, a petition signed by many thousands of Belfast people; her courage represented the 1st real threat to the popular support on which the moral position of the terrorists depended. Received Norwegian People Peace Prize (1976) and Nobel Peace Prize (1976).

See also Women in World History.

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