Cynthia Kay Cockburn (née Ellis; 1934 – 2019)[2][3] was a British academic, feminist, and peace activist.

[4][2] Cockburn was a researcher in the fields of gender, war and peace-making, labour processes and trade unionism, and refugees.

From 1993, they began calling the group Women in Black in support of other international peace movement efforts, specifically those taking place in Israel, Italy, and Yugoslavia.

[10][11] Cockburn was selected to be featured in the British Library project, 'Sisterhood and After', an oral history archive of feminists active in the 1970–1980s.

[16] She also wrote for The Guardian,[17][18] Red Pepper,[19] Peace News,[20] IndyMedia UK,[21] and OpenDemocracy.