Global Peaceheroes

2011 Nobel Peace Prize Winner

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 “from a child into an adult in a matter of hours.”

During the civil war, Gbowee trained to be a social worker and trauma counselor. She worked with children who had been soldiers. Gbowee believed women should restore peace for future generations. With this goal in mind, she helped found the Women in Peacebuilding Network (WIPNET) of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP).

Gbowee may be best known for organizing the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace, a collaboration of Christian and Muslim women. As the organization’s spokesperson, Gbowee helped end 14 years of civil war in 2003. She led protests against Charles Taylor, Liberia’s ruthless president. Those protests forced Taylor…

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. Kasha’s mother allowed her to be herself. Being herself got Kasha in trouble, especially when she wrote love notes to other girls. When caught, she was expelled from school.

In Uganda, homosexuality is illegal.

Kasha lived her life openly. But she both observed and experienced discrimination, harassment, and physical abuse because of her sexual orientation. For example, an unidentified person attacked Kasha with a hard, sharp object after she exited a taxi because another person refused to share a ride with a lesbian. College provided no refuge. School officials made her sign a letter promising to stay far away from a girls’ hostel…

1982 Nobel Peace Prize Winner

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 degree in Mexico. Robles then moved to Europe where he earned degrees from the University of Paris and The Hague Academy of International Law. The Hague, a city in the Netherlands, is the home of the Peace Palace, which houses the academy and the International Court of Justice.

Robles’s interest in peace showed in his career as a diplomat. In 1939, he joined Mexico’s Foreign Service. He worked two years for the Embassy of Mexico in Sweden before returning home. In 1945, he attended the San Francisco Conference as Mexico’s delegate. This conference established the United Nations (UN). From 1962 to 1964, he served as Mexico’s ambassador to Brazil and…

1991 Nobel Peace Prize Winner

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 has no authority over Myanmar’s military. Nonetheless, international leaders, including other Nobel Peace Prize laureates, have called on Suu Kyi to take a public stand on the crisis.

As to questions about revoking her 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for failing to speak out, The New York Times has reported that the Nobel Committee has never revoked a prize nor censured a recipient. Gunnar Stalsett, a former committee member, is quoted in The New York Times as saying, “The principle we follow is the decision is not a declaration of a saint. When the decision has been made and the award has been given, that ends the responsibility of the committee.”

Aung San Suu Kyi (pronounced Ahn Sahn Soo…