Peacebuilders

(b.1945-d.1971) At age 18 when Ted was called to the draft in the Vietnam War, he wrote a letter to his Draft Board: he did not mind serving his country like other young men, but that he needed to serve as a peace worker. And with that Ted, a pacifist, became a conscientious objector who served as a

Dayton Peace Hero - 2014  Dayton International Peace Museum. Used with permission. Community leader John E. Moore Sr. was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on January 11, 1923. He and his family moved to Dayton the following year, and Dayton has been his home ever since. John attended Dayton Public Scho

(pronounced  mah-LAH-lah   yoo-sahf-ZIGH) “Malala Yousafzai” by Simon Davis/DFID, licensed under CC BY 3.0. In 2014, at age 17, Malala became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. The award recognized Malala’s work to assure an education for herself and other girls. Her efforts conti

Dayton Peace Hero – 2012 “You need to know what people did in the past.” Dayton International Peace Museum. Used with permission. That’s been one of Margaret Evelyn Peters’s maxims for most, if not all, of her life. In an interview with the Peace Museum, Margaret said that by understanding what re

1982 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Alfonso Garcia Robles is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 NL. Alfonso García Robles (pronounced ROBE-lays) was born March 20, 1911, in Zamora, Mexico. As a young person, Robles thought about becoming a priest. He later changed his mind and studied law. He earned his law

Part 1: Nonviolent activist and environmentalist For more than 30 years, Sister Dorothy helped poor Brazilian homesteaders build independent lives through sustainable farming in the Amazon rainforest. Sister Dorothy Stang was born July 7, 1931, in Dayton, Ohio. She grew up on a farm near Dayto

Joseph Guy LaPointe Jr. was born July 2, 1948, in Dayton, Ohio. While a student at Northridge High School, he volunteered at the Aullwood Audubon Center. Guy loved nature and enjoyed hiking and camping. He planned to go to college and earn a degree in biology. His goal was to work for the National P

Greta, at age 16, appeared on the 2019 TIME 100 for her work in sparking a number of youth-led protests that call for action on climate change. Thunberg started in August 2018 (at age 15) by spending her school days outside the Swedish parliament holding up a sign saying “School strike for climate”.

At 13 years old, Autumn is a Anishinaabe-kwe and a member of the Wikwemikong First Nation and an internationally recognized champion for clean water.  She addressed world leaders at the United Nations in 2019 about protecting water. A fierce advocate for water protection and conservation since t

2011 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Leymah Gbowee, Nobel Peace Prize laureate 2011 by Li Grebäck is licensed under CC BY NC ND 2.0. Leymah Gbowee was born February 1, 1972, in Monrovia, Liberia. Her life turned upside down in 1989 at age 17. Liberia’s civil war had begun. She has said the war turned her “

Image credit: Martin Ennals Foundation Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera was born April 12, 1980, in Kampala, Uganda. Her father was a prince. He and Kasha’s mother both worked for the Bank of Uganda. As a child, Kasha did not act like other girls. She wore pants to school instead of the expected skirt.

(pronounced  VED-ran  SMILE-o-vich) Mikhail Evstafiev, licensed under CC BY SA 2.5 Vedran Smailović was principal cellist for the Sarajevo Opera. He grew up in a noted musical family. As a child, his father organized them into a group, Musica Ad Hominem (Music To the People), to share music through

Dayton Peace Hero – 2011 (b.1923 - d.2012) Jeanne Comer (left) with Charlotte Paugh, by the Dayton International Peace Museum. Used with permission Jeanne M. Comer, née Kuncl, was born August 1, 1923, in Omaha, Nebraska. She met Orville Comer in Collinsville, Illinois, just before World War II. Th

1991 Nobel Peace Prize Winner “Aung San Suu Kyi” by Claude Truong-Ngoc is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Note: Controversy currently surrounds Aung San Suu Kyi’s failure to publicly condemn the military’s campaign of ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslims. As Myanmar’s civilian leader, Suu Kyi

Media Focus on Africa. Used with permission. Joel Cheruiyot Sigei was one of seven winners in the Unsung Peace Hero campaign created in 2008 by Butterfly Works and Media Focus on Africa. With more than 500 nominees, the campaign celebrated everyday people who helped fellow Kenyans during a period

Craig Kielburger with brother Marc, by Siavash Ghazvinian, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. At the age of 12, Canadian Craig Kielburger read a newspaper article that motivated him to take action. Iqbal Masih, a boy the same age in Pakistan, had lost his life defending other children. Iqbal was kidnap

“As long as people are talking to each other, they hold their fire.” - Elena Elena Gulmadova was born in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Her father was Muslim and her mother Christian. She saw violence and instability early in life during the Tajikistani Civil War. The fighting had started after Tajikistan