Louisa Benson Craig
| Louisa Benson Craig | |
|---|---|
| Born |
10 March 1941 Rangoon, British Burma |
| Died |
2 February 2010 (aged 68) Los Angeles, California |
| Cause of death | Cancer |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater |
Tufts University Columbia University |
| Spouse(s) |
Lin Htin (1964-1965) Glenn Craig (1967-) |
| Children |
Charmaine Craig Colleen Craig Bradford Craig |
| Parent(s) |
Saw Benson Naw Chit Khin |
Louisa Charmaine Benson Craig (sometimes spelt Luisa Benson; 10 March 1941 – 2 February 2010) was a Burmese-born two-time beauty pageant winner and Karen rebel leader of Portuguese Jewish and Karen ancestry who was particularly known for becoming Burma's first Miss Universe contestant in 1956 [1] and again Miss Burma in 1958.[2]
After American schooling she returned to Karen State and married Lin Htin, a commander of the Karen National Liberation Army(KNLA) in 1964.[3] After her husband's death in 1965, widowed Louisa led the Fifth Brigade, but fell out with the Karen National Union leadership following a power struggle with Bo Mya.[4]
As a "Most Wanted" independence warrior leader, Louisa was urged by her people in 1967 to leave to spare her life; and she emigrated to the United States by marrying a Mayflower descendant of Massachusetts' historic Governor Bradford and an aunt who started Twinings American tea company, Glenn Campbell Craig, former classmate of her youthful overseas studies at Tufts University,[4] who reconnected with her as a U.S. Naval officer requesting assignment to Asian waters near Karen State.
After emigrating, Louisa Benson Craig obtained a master's degree in international affairs at Columbia University and worked to advocate for Burmese democracy and resettlement efforts for Burmese refugees in the United States.[5] In 2004, she was named a plaintiff in a landmark human rights case against Unocal, which was operating in Burma, for profiting from the Burmese military's alleged human rights abuses by operating the Yadana gas field.[6]
Family
Louisa's father, Saw Benson (also known as Moses Ben-Zion Koder), was an entrepreneur descended from the Koder family, a prominent Cochin Jewish business clan in South India's Cochin (now Kochi) on his paternal side, and the Leynado family, a Sephardic Jewish family on his maternal side.[1] He converted to Christianity and in 1939 married an ethnic Karen woman, Naw Chit Khin.[1]
Louisa bore three children to Glenn Craig, who became an entrepreneur helping found an international school publications enterprise out of California.[5] Their daughter perpetuating Louisa's middle name, Charmaine Craig, is an actress who, like her husband Andrew Winer, is a novelist and university professor of literature.[7] Louisa and Glenn's second daughter is a physician, and their son is a musician who also works in public radio. Karen relatives of Louisa also emigrated to California.
In Perpetuity
Louisa's legacy and memory live on not only as a heroine among the Karen people but also in continued awareness-raising by others moved by Karen courage and tenacity to hold onto ancient independence, history, culture, and identity.
References
- 1 2 3 Cernea, Ruth Fredman (2007). Almost Englishmen: Baghdadi Jews in British Burma. Lexington Books. pp. 117–118. ISBN 9780739116463.
- ↑ Naw Louisa "Benson, Naw Louisa" Check
|url=value (help). Museum of Karen History and Culture. Karen History and Culture Preservation Society. 2003. Retrieved 9 April 2012. - ↑ Saw Yan Naing (4 February 2010). "Louisa Benson Craig Dies Aged 69". The Irrawaddy. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- 1 2 Tzamg Yawnghwe (1987). The Shan of Burma: Memoirs of a Shan Exile. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. pp. 202–203. ISBN 9789971988623.
- 1 2 "Naw Louisa Benson Craig (သို့) တာဝန်ကျေခဲ့သူ တယောက်". LA Organizers for Burma. 2 March 2010. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- ↑ "Former actress joins lawsuit". AP. 1 June 2004. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
- ↑ "About". Charmaine Craig. Retrieved 9 April 2012.