Mahatma Gandhi As the year 2021 dawns, the world faces a whole range of problems including the COVID-19 pandemic, deep internal divisions in the US and other countries, persistent racism and casteism, sharp inequalities, rise of authoritarianism and fascism, climate change, environmental destruction, and so on. The situation is ripe for violence to erupt. In…
Category: Individual
099. Emily Greene Balch: A radical champion of peace
Emily Greene Balch When Emily Greene Balch (1867-1961), a US citizen, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1946 for her lifelong work for disarmament and peace, the US government did not congratulate her. The administration had declared her to be a dangerous socialist. Emily Greene belonged to a wealthy family and studied Sociology and…
098. Shirin Ebadi: Fighter for democracy and human rights
Shirin Ebadi Shirin Ebadi was born in Hamadan, Iran, in 1947. Her family consisted of academics and practising Muslims. Shirin Ebadi moved to Tehran with her family when she was a year old. Shirin Ebadi received her law degree and began to serve officially as a judge in March 1969. She was the first woman…
097. Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams: Partners for Peace in Northern Ireland
Mairead Corrigan Betty Williams On August 10, 1976, three children were struck and killed by the getaway car of a nationalist Irish Republican Army gunman in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The children were two nephews and a niece of Mairead Corrigan, an office secretary and a Catholic. Mairead’s sister, Anne, was badly hurt in the…
096. Jane Addams: Multi-faceted contributor to peace, public welfare, human rights, and much more
Jane Addams Jane Addams was born in 1860 Cedarville, Illinois, US, the eighth of nine children. Her father was a prosperous miller and local political leader. He fought in the Civil War and was a friend of Abraham Lincoln. After a visit to London, Jane was inspired to open a house (called Hull House) in…
094. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf: The Iron Lady of Liberia
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Born in Monrovia, Liberia in 1938, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf studied economics at Harvard University. After her return to Liberia, she served as Assistant Minister of Finance under President William Tolbert and as Minister of Finance in Samuel K. Doe’s military dictatorship. She became known for her personal financial integrity and differed with…
093. Tawakkol Karman: Advocate for democracy, press freedom, and women’s rights
Tawakkol Karman Tawakkol Karman, born in 1979, is a Yemeni journalist, politician, and human rights activist. Tawakkol has worked as a journalist since earning a degree in political science from Sana’a University. As a journalist, she wrote extensively and bravely about injustices and civil rights violations, despite the country’s severely restricted media environment. In 2005…
092. Nadia Murad: From being a victim to becoming a leading advocate for survivors of genocide and sexual violence
Nadia Murad Nadia Murad comes from the Yazidi village of Kocho in Iraq. The Yazidis are a Kurdish religious minority found primarily in parts of Iraq, Turkey, Syria, and Iran. Their religion includes elements of ancient Iranian religions as well as elements of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Although scattered and probably numbering only between 200,000…
091. Jody Williams: Successful campaigner for the ban on landmines
Jody Williams The 1997 Nobel Peace Prize was jointly awarded to Jody Williams (of Vermont, US) and the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL). Landmines are the scourge of poor countries. 100 million un-detonated anti-personnel mines still remain buried in 60 countries after wars and armed conflicts. Their original purpose was to maim or kill…
089. Rigoberta Menchu: Working for the rights of indigenous peoples
Rigoberta Menchu Born in 1959, Rigoberta Menchú Tum is an indigenous feminist and human rights activist from Guatemala. Rigoberta has been championing the cause of Guatemala’s indigenous peoples during and after the Civil War (1960–1996) in that country. She has also been promoting indigenous rights internationally. Even as a teenager, Rigoberta was active in the…