Editor’s Note:
This booklet is a compilation of short essays on
selected Nobel Peace Prize Laureates. The students
involved with this project are all part of Dr. Mar PeterRaoul’s class, Praxis I-II. We hope with the creation of
this booklet, that we inspire more people to act as
these individuals to promote positive change, peace,
and well-being in the world. As you may see, each
entry retains its own style. I unified the format for
each entry, but the content is strictly that of the
individual student. I hope you enjoy our entries and
become inspired to take action for peace and justice.
-Mike Napolitano, April 2009
“One must think like a hero to behave like a merely
decent human being.” –May Sarton
“The heroes of all time have gone before us…where
we had thought to travel outwards we shall come to
the center of our own existence. And where we had
thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world.”
-Joseph Campbell
Table of Contents
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel
By Sam Tobia
Al Gore
By Kasey Nagle
The 14th Dalai Lama
By Joe Cricchio
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
By Mike Napolitano
Elie Wiesel
By Nicole Colomban
Elie Wiesel
By Lauren Utter
Jimmy Carter
By Carola Madrid
Médecins Sans Frontières
By Alanna Henneberry
Mother Teresa
By Briana Timlin
Oscar Arias Sanchez
By Emily Fiore
Aung San Suu Kyi
By Colleen Ryan
Wangari Maathai
By Anthony Antonecchia
Faculty:
Dr. Mar Peter-Raoul
Editor:
Mike Napolitano
Cover Collage: Lauren Utter
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, by Sam Tobia
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel received the 1980
Nobel Peace Prize for devoting, “his life to
the struggle for human rights,” and running
the, “organisation Servicio Paz y Justicia,”
which promotes, “fundamental human
rights, basing itself exclusively on nonviolent means.” In his presentation speech,
he said, “The institutionalised violence,
misery and oppression generate a dual
reality, fruit of the political and economic
systems that create injustice, sanctifying
a social order that benefits only a few:
the rich becomes ever richer at the
expense of the poor who becomes ever
poorer.”
Adolfo Pérez Esquivel has dedicated his life to bringing change, peace, and justice
throughout Latin America. Born on 26 November 1931 in Buenos Aires, Esquivel was raised by
his Catholic father and Gaurani Indian grandmother. He witnessed many military coups or
governmental overthrows between 1931 and 1973. In 1976, a military dictatorship carried out its
“Dirty War” campaign in Argentina, based on repression, censorship, torture, and murder.
Teachers, artists, writers, activists, and journalists were some of the main targets of this “brutal
crackdown on democratic rights” (Global Call to Action). Family members, children, and friends
began to “disappear” as arrests were made in the middle of the night. The government sold
children into adoption, tortured, and often killed their parents and other prisoners. “Later it was
discovered that some of the disappeared were thrown out of airplanes over the ocean” (Global
Call to Action).
Before the Dirty War began, Esquivel attended a conference in Montevideo, Uruguay in
1968, where the blueprints were developed for a non-violent organization that would seek to
bring change to Latin America. This Christian based organization, Servicio Paz y Justicia
(SERPAJ or Peace and Justice Service), sought to uphold human rights, specifically social and
economic rights. Esquivel gave up his profession as a professor of sculpture and architecture in
1974 in order to focus his attention on instigating social change. In 1976, he was appointed
Secretary-General of SERPAJ. His first campaign sought to convince the United Nations to
establish a Human Rights Commission (Odelberg).
In 1977, the military dictatorship arrested and tortured Esquivel for fourteen months. The
government received thousands of letters, demanding he be set free. Esquivel was even named
Amnesty International’s political prisoner of the year, in 1978. Upon release, Esquivel returned
to SERPAJ. Shortly after his release in 1983, the military dictatorship was deposed and
members of the rouge government were brought to trial (Global Call to Action).
SERPAJ is still continuing its campaign to bring economic and social rights to the people
of Latin America. “On the practical level this means that Servicio provides assistance to the rural
workers in their struggle for land, and to the trade unions in their struggle to protect the rights of
their workers” (Odelberg). Currently, SERPAJ is working on a campaign to cancel debt in third
world countries.
Esquivel is currently active in a number of organizations. He supports The Mothers of
May Square and The Grandmothers of May Square. Both organizations seek to bring justice to
the families whose children disappeared during the Dirty War and reunite the kidnapped
children with their biological families. “He has also started two “Peace Villages” which provide
training and housing for homeless and orphaned children in Argentina” (Global Call to Action).
He is currently the president of the International Academy of Environmental Sciences, which is
working to create an International Environmental Criminal Court to protect the environment
(International Academy of Environmental Scientists). He is also actively involved in the
Comisión Provincial por la Memoria, a human rights organization based in Buenos Aires.
Esquivel stresses the importance of using peace as the only weapon to transform the
world. He states, “to create this new society, we must present outstretched and friendly hands,
without hatred or rancor, even as we show great determination and never waver in the defense
of truth and justice” (Global Call to Action). He insists that we transform our “culture of death”
into a “culture of life” (Global Call to Action). Change must be generated, not by a number of
casualties, but by the actions of inspirational, determined, and peaceful citizens. He not only
sought peaceful social change in his generation, but inspires others to do the same in the future.
“The important issue,” Esquivel says, “is to communicate to the youth the hope for a new and
different world” (Global Call to Action). He proves that anyone can instigate social change; a
masters degree in political science or a powerful occupation is not necessary. Adolfo Pérez
Esquivel proves that all that is required of a social change activist is that she or he uses
nonviolent resistance as a tool to relentlessly pursue a peaceful world.
“I think that peace is the great revolution that mankind is waiting for.” –Esquivel
Al Gore, by Kasey Nagle
Al Gore and the United
Nation’s Climate Control
Panel won the noble peace
prize in 2007 for the
Academy Award winning
documentary An
Inconvenient Truth. The
documentary focuses on
our threatening habit of
abusing the ozone layer
and the epic problem of
global warning.
According to Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth features “the biggest problem we
will ever face.” Though Gore’s documentary features a scary reality, he makes the
very dense issues understandable for any viewer. Because of this, it is remarkably
effective and praiseworthy. It would be easy to continue to commend Gore for his
accomplishments, however, this piece will focus on Gore’s life.
Albert Gore Jr. was born in Washington D.C. on March 31, 1948. As the son
of U.S. House of Representative, Albert Gore Sr., Gore spent his childhood back
and forth from D.C. and his father’s home in Tennessee. Gore attended St. Albans
where he played football and ran track. His senior prom date, Mary Elizabeth
Aitcheson, later became his wife. After graduating high school, he enrolled at
Harvard University, and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in
government. One class that made a lifelong impression on him was climate science.
This class – which was taught by Roger Revelle – introduced Gore to the issues of
climate control and made him focus on environmental issues throughout his political
career.
After college, Gore was drafted into the army and fought in the Vietnam
War. He opposed the war but believed it was his public duty to participate.
Reflecting on the experience Gore said: “I don't pretend that my own military
experience matches in any way what others here have been through [...] I didn't do
the most, or run the gravest danger. But I was proud to wear my country's uniform.
And my own experiences gave me strong beliefs about America's obligation to keep
our national defenses strong.” After his service, Gore decided to continue his
education. He attended Vanderbilt University and studied journalism but after a year
transferred to the Vanderbilt Law School. Before finishing law school he decided to
run for his father’s former seat in Congress which he won in 1976 and remained in
Congress until 1993. In 1988 Gore made his first attempt at the democratic
presidential nomination but came in third to Michael Dukakis.
In April of 1989 his youngest child Albert III was hit by a car and was in critical
condition. Gore has said that this was “a trauma so shattering that he views it as a
moment of personal rebirth” and a “key moment in his life” which “changed
everything.” Mainly because of the accident, Gore did not attempt to run for
President again in 1992, but was selected as Bill Clinton’s running mate that same
election. During that year, Gore was able to publish his first book Earth in the
Balance, which was just a small preview of things to come.
Al Gore has done remarkable things in his political career, but none of his
triumphs compare to presenting the world with An Inconvenient Truth. It is going to
take an idealist such as Al Gore to make people comprehend the problem our world
has in front of us. Doing nothing, and continuing on with our polluting habits, will just
further our future problems. As Gore said when he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize
in 2007, “We face a true planetary emergency. The climate crisis is not a political
issue; it is a moral and spiritual challenge to all of humanity.” This issue of climate
control is much grander than a political agenda, it is an issue everyone’s future
depends on and we must take on our roles as individuals to make a change before it
is too late.
The 14th Dalai Lama, by Joe Cricchio
His Holiness was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize in 1989 for his non-violent struggle for the
liberation of Tibet. He has consistently
advocated policies of non-violence, even in the
face of extreme aggression. In his Nobel lecture,
he said, “I pray for all of us, oppressor and
friend, that together we succeed in building a
better world through human understanding and
love, and that in doing so we may reduce the
pain and suffering of all sentient beings.”
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is both the head of state and the
spiritual leader of Tibet. He was born on 6 July 1935, to a farming family in a small hamlet
located in Taktser, Amdo, Tibet. At the age of two, His Holiness – who was named Lhamo
Dhondup at that time – was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten
Gyatso. The Dalai Lamas are believed to be manifestations of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig,
the Bodhisattva of Compassion and patron saint of Tibet. Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings
who have postponed their own nirvana and chosen to take rebirth in order to serve humanity
(Les Prix Nobel).
His Holiness began his monastic education at the early age of six. The curriculum
consisted of five major and five minor subjects. The major subjects were logic, Tibetan art and
culture, Sanskrit, medicine, and Buddhist philosophy which was further divided into five subcategories: Prajnaparimita, the perfection of wisdom; Madhyamika, the philosophy of the middle
Way; Vinaya, the canon of monastic discipline; Abidharma, metaphysics; and Pramana, logic
and epistemology. At 24, he took the preliminary examination at each of the three monastic
universities: Drepung, Sera, and Ganden. The final examination was held in Jokhang, Lhasa,
during the annual Monlam Festival of Prayer, held during the first month of every year. In the
morning he was examined by 30 logic scholars (Les Prix Nobel). In the afternoon, he debated
with 15 scholars on the subject of the Middle Path, and in the evening, 35 scholars tested his
knowledge of the canon of monastic discipline and the study of metaphysics. His Holiness
passed the examinations with honors which was conducted before a vast audience of monk
scholars.
In 1950, a year after China’s invasion of Tibet, His Holiness, at the age of 16, was called
upon to assume full political power. In 1954, he went to Beijing to engage in peace talks with
Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Chou Enlai, and other Chinese leaders. Despite these talks, the
brutal suppression of the Tibetan national uprising by Chinese troops in Lhasa continued; His
Holiness was forced to escape into exile in 1959. Since then, he has been living in Dharamsala,
India while the seat of the Tibetan political administration remains vacant due to his exile (Les
Prix Nobel).
In the early years of exile, His Holiness appealed to the United Nations on the question
of Tibet, resulting in three resolutions adopted by the General Assembly in 1959, 1961, and
1965 (Les Prix Nobel). In 1963, His Holiness enacted a draft constitution for Tibet which assures
a democratic form of government. In the last two decades, His Holiness has set up educational,
cultural and religious institutions which have made major contributions towards the preservation
of the Tibetan identity and its rich heritage. He has given many teachings and initiations,
including the rare Kalachakra Initiation, which he has conducted more than any of his
predecessors.
In September 1987 His Holiness proposed the Five Point Peace Plan for Tibet as the
first step towards a peaceful solution to the worsening situation in Tibet. The Five Point Peace
Plan consisted of five main components. The first component was to transform Tibet into a zone
of peace. The second was the abandonment of China's population transfer policy that threatens
the very existence of the Tibetans as a people. The third was respect for the Tibetan people's
fundamental human rights and democratic freedoms. The forth was to restore and protect
Tibet's natural environment and to abandon China's use of Tibet for the production of nuclear
weapons and dumping of nuclear waste. The final component was a Commencement of earnest
negotiations on the future status of Tibet and between the Tibetan and Chinese peoples. China
has so far failed to respond positively to the various peace proposals put forward by His
Holiness.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a man of peace. He also became the first Nobel Laureate
to be recognized for his concern for global environmental problems. As both a political and
religious leader his first commitment is the promotion of human values such as compassion,
forgiveness, tolerance, contentment and self-discipline. He is a man that believes that all human
beings are created equal. Through all of his achievements and successes the Dalai Lama still
describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk.
Desmond Tutu, by Mike Napolitano
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, General
Secretary of the South African
Council of Churches, received the
Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, “for his
role as a unifying leader figure in the
campaign to resolve the problem of
apartheid in South Africa.” In his
acceptance speech, he said, “In
dehumanizing others, they are
themselves dehumanized. Perhaps
oppression dehumanizes the
oppressor as much as, if not more
than, the oppressed. They need each
other to become truly free, to become
human.”
Noting his achievement in striving for peace,
the Nobel committee recognized Archbishop Tutu for his doctrine of nonviolence in the face of extreme oppression and racism at the hands of the
minority-ruling Apartheid government in South Africa. For years under the
Apartheid regime, Tutu called for non-violence and justice in the face of
heartless abuse. With his formulated objective for South Africa, Archbishop
Tutu called for, “a democratic and just society without racial divisions.”
Beyond that, he listed four points in which he put his minimal demands:
1. Equal civil rights for all
2. The abolition of South Africa’s passport laws (meant to restrict the
movement of blacks to segregated areas).
3. A common system of education (in rejection of the ‘Bantu Education’)
4. The cessation of forced deportation from South Africa to the so-called
“home lands.”
In his quest for justice, Desmond Tutu inspired many to seek positive action
in the face of the radical negativity of the Apartheid regime and its policies.
It is noted that, “his policy of forgiveness and reconciliation has become an
international example of conflict resolution and a trusted method of postconflict reconstruction.”
Archbishop Tutu came from humble roots. Born in Klerksdorp,
Transvaal in 1931 he attended Bantu High School in Johannesburg. Tutu
then went on to become a high school teacher. After graduating from the
University of South Africa in 1954 he began to study theology
independently. He abandoned teaching in 1960 and was ordained as a
priest that year. From 1962 to 1966 Tutu pursued his masters in theology in
England and then traveled back to South Africa to teach theology.
Tutu has held many positions in South African religious structures,
including the Dean of St. Mary’s Cathedral in Johannesburg, and later the
Bishop of Lesotho. Prior to winning the Peace Prize in 1984, Tutu was
elected to one of the highest religious positions in South Africa when he
became the General Secretary of South African Council of Churches. A
month after receiving the Peace Prize, Tutu was elected and installed as
the Anglican Bishop of Johannesburg and later became the Archbishop of
Cape Town.
Archbishop Tutu has been recognized by many institutions for his
philosophies, teachings, and action. He has received many honorary
doctorates from numerous institutions in the United States, Britain, and
Germany. In his continuing quest for human rights and justice Archbishop
Tutu continues to attend peace conferences and, last year, recorded a
public service announcement in South Africa for the “Every Human Has a
Right,” campaign for the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights.
Elie Wiesel, by Nicole Colomban
Elie Wiesel won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986
for “speaking out against violence, racism, and
oppression.” In his Nobel lecture, he noted that
“for the first time in history, we could not bury
our dead. We bear their graves within
ourselves. For us, forgetting was never an
option.”
Elie Wiesel, a Jewish writer, inspirer, and political activist, won the Nobel Peace
Prize in 1986. He has written 57 books, with “Night” being the most read and critically
acclaimed, and to me, the most inspiring.
Wiesel grew up in the small town of Sighet located in Transylvania, with three
sisters and his parents Sarah and Shlomo. His father influenced him to have a strong
sense of humanity while his mother stressed Judaism. Their positive influences shaped
his view of the world and gave him the strength to endure the atrocities of the
Holocaust.
Wiesel’s hellish journey began when his family was placed into one of two Nazi
ghettos and, from there, his family was sent to Auschwitz. In Auschwitz, he was
separated from both his mother and sister Tzipora. Elie stayed close to his father while
dealing with death, torture, and the unimaginable cruelty of the Nazis. About a year
later, Wiesel’s father succumbed to exhaustion, starvation, and dysentery. His death
proved to be rather tragic as they were liberated months after his death. The war took
Wiesel’s mother, father, Tzipora, and millions of others; entire families were destroyed
by those who were influenced by blind hatred. It is hard to accept that similar crimes are
still being committed today.
For many years after the war, Wiesel could not write about his experience, it was
simply too disturbing to talk about. He didn’t know how to appropriately describe all that
he had witnessed and the immense hurt he had endured. But, in 1952, with a little push
from a friend, he finally decided to write about the events of the Holocaust. He struggled
through this first book, but as the eloquence and uniqueness of his work spread, it
received much success and was subsequently sold in many different languages.
Elie Wiesel won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. He won the prize for speaking
out against violence, racism, and oppression. A year before recieving Nobel Peace
Prize, Wiesel earned the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest non-military award the
US Congress gives. He is one of the most inspirational figures in history. Wiesel stands
as a symbol for the perseverance of good over evil, humanity against barbarity. His
stories help teach us how to move forward and let wounds heal. Wiesel will forever
remain an important figure in history. His experiences have now helped him find his way
back to God and have pushed him to defend all those who endure suffering and
humiliation. He seeks to defend the weak, and through this defense, show us how to
live.
Drawing of Wiesel by Colomban Elie Wiesel, by Lauren Utter
Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in
1986 for his work as chairman of the United
States Holocaust Memorial Council from 19801986 and for acting as, “A messenger to
mankind and a human being dedicated to
humanity.” The Nobel Committee recognized
that “Wiesel has emerged as one of the most
important spiritual leaders and guides in an age
when violence, repression and racism continue
to characterize the world.”
Elie Wiesel once affirmed, “What unites all of us as human beings is the
aspiration to make the world better, more compassionate, with less conflict, less hate
and hardship, and with more tolerance and understanding.” Wiesel, a Jewish survivor of
the Holocaust, experienced firsthand the violent horrors that can arise from oppression
and racism. His parents and younger sister were killed in the Nazi extermination camps
during World War II. Only Weisel and his two older sisters were liberated from the
camps by the U.S. Army in 1945. In Wiesel`s noble lecture, he stated in regard to the
survivors’ memories of the concentration camps:
“Each one of us felt compelled to bear witness, such were the wishes of
the dying, the testament of the dead. Since the so-called civilized world
had no use for their lives, then let it be inhabited by their deaths. The
great historian Shimon Dubnov served as our guide and inspiration. Until
the moment of his death he said over and over again to his companions
in the Riga ghetto: "Yidden, shreibt un fershreibt" (Jews, write it all
down). His words were heeded. Overnight, countless victims became
chroniclers and historians in the ghettos, even in the death camps.
It was not until ten years after Wiesel`s liberation that he finally made the
decision to break the silence surrounding the Holocaust. Up until then, Wiesel was
struggling to regain his identity; his previous identity had been replaced with the number
A 7713. Wiesel credits the Catholic writer Francois Mauriac for his decision to write of
the horrors. During a 1954 interview with Mauriac, Wiesel strongly reacted to Mauriac`s
relentless talk of the suffering of Jesus. Wiesel raged with emotion when he said to
Mauriac, “Ten years ago, not far from here, I knew Jewish children everyone of whom
suffered a thousand times more, six million times more, than Christ on the cross. And
we don’t speak about them.” Mauriac urged Wiesel to write down his horrific
experiences in the concentration camps and within a year, Wiesel had finished writing
the memoir Night.
Night is a classic account of the Holocaust. Since then, Wiesel has published
over 40 works. He once responded in an interview as to why he writes saying, “I swore
never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and
humiliation.” Wiesel`s work is not only concerned with unveiling the horrors of the past,
but directly focuses on “preventing the possible victory of evil forces in the future.” He
said, “I will conquer our murderers by attempting to reconstruct what they destroyed.”
Wiesel has advocated against persecution, oppression, and racism of Jews. He
has also spoken out for the victims of oppression all over the world. Some examples
include Argentina`s Desaparecidos, apartheid in South Africa, Cambodian refugees, the
Kurds in Iraq, the Miskito Indians in Nicaragua, the war victims in Bosnia, and the
victims of famine and genocide in Africa.
He has received countless awards and honorary doctorates for his literature and
advocacy, including the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal, the Medal of Liberty Award,
and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel
Committee, Egil Aarvik, powerfully affirmed Elie Wiesel`s presentation speech, “truly,
prisoner number A 7713 has become a human being once again, a human being
dedicated to humanity.”
Below is an excerpt from Elie Wiesel`s Nobel acceptance speech:
“Of course we could try to forget the past. Why not? Is it not natural for a
human being to repress what causes him pain, what causes him shame?
Like the body, memory protects its wounds. When day breaks after a
sleepless night, one's ghosts must withdraw; the dead are ordered back to
their graves. But for the first time in history, we could not bury our dead.
We bear their graves within ourselves. For us, forgetting was never an
option.”
Jimmy Carter, by Carola Madrid
Jimmy Carter received the Nobel
Peace Prize in 2002 for standing by the
principle that, “conflicts must be
resolved through mediation and
international cooperation based on
international law, respect for human
rights, and economic development.” In
his Nobel acceptance speech, Carter
stated, “the bond of our common
humanity is stronger than the
divisiveness of our fears and
prejudices. God gives us the capacity
for choice. We can choose to alleviate
suffering. We can choose to work
together for peace. We can make these
changes – and we must.”
Jimmy Carter served as the 39th president of the United States. Although
he only served in office for four years, his influence from those years reach far
beyond many of his presidential peers. Carter has been one of the only
presidents who has taken an interest in the Middle East. From the outset of his
administration, he sought and envisioned a, “final peaceful solution to this
century.” His consistent advocacy for peaceful solutions with consideration for
international law sets him apart not only as a diplomat, but as a global citizen.
Carter’s vision of how to achieve peace in the Middle East led to his
involvement in mediating the Camp David Accords, a thirteen day peace
conference between Menachem Begin, the Prime Minister of Israel, and Anwar
Sadat, the president of Egypt. Carter’s courage knew no limits: “He was not
afraid to announce that the Palestinian people had a right to a homeland, and
that their human rights must be protected.” He also held that Israel must
withdraw from conquered territory from the 1967 war and “abide by the principles
of international law, in particular, UN Resolution 242.” The overwhelming
achievement of the Camp David Accords, embracing UN Resolution 242, were
not only signed by all three leaders, but were also ratified by the Israeli Knesset
in 1978. The peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, signed 26 March 1979,
“would never have been achieved without Carter … and remains today the one
important peace treaty in this area of conflict.”
After leaving the White House in 1981, the Carter family “wanted to
continue working for peace in the world.” Thus they founded the Carter Center in
Atlanta, Georgia for the purpose of helping “countries resolve their internal
conflicts … by encouraging individuals and governments to undertake peace
talks instead of resorting to civil violence or military force.” The Carter Center
also teaches African farmers to grow more food, works with other international
organizations to immunize children, and continues human rights work. The
Center also created the International Negotiation Network to study conflicts and
ways to prevent or end them” (Ibid p. xii-xiii).
In their citation, the Norwegian Nobel Committee praised Carter’s “very
extensive and persevering conflict resolution on several continents” (Citation, p.
xi). The Committee continues, “He has shown outstanding commitment to human
rights, and has served as an observer at countless elections all over the world.
He has worked hard on many fronts to fight tropical diseases and to bring about
growth and progress in developing countries.”
In Carter’s Nobel Peace Prize Lecture, delivered on 10 December 2002,
he quotes Ralph Bunch: “To suggest that war can prevent war is … despicable…
The objective of any who sincerely believe in peace clearly must be to exhaust
every honorable recourse in the effort to save the peace. The world has had
ample evidence that war begets only conditions that beget further war.” He goes
on to say, “There are at least eight nuclear powers on earth.… For powerful
countries to adopt a principle of preventive war may well set an example that can
have catastrophic consequences. If we accept the premise that the United
Nations is the best avenue for the maintenance of peace, then the carefully
considered decisions of the UN Security Council must be enforced” (Carter, p.
11-12). Carter sees that the “growing chasm between the richest and the poorest
people on earth… is the root cause of most of the world’s unresolved problems,
including starvation, illiteracy, environmental degradation, violent conflict, and
unnecessary illnesses” (Carter p. 19). He closes the acceptance lecture by
affirming, “The bond of our common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of
our fears and prejudices. God gives us the capacity for choice. We can choose to
alleviate suffering. We can choose to work together for peace. We can make
these changes- and we must” (Ibid p. 20).
Carter cautions all, “Peacemaking is not easy … it is much more difficult
than making war … we must not relax in our efforts to ease the pain and
suffering caused by conflict and to help the world’s people secure their safety,
health, and freedoms” (Ibid p. xiv).
Médecins Sans Frontières, by Alanna Heneberry
Doctors Without Borders received the
Nobel Peace Prize in 1999, “In
recognition of the organization’s
pioneering humanitarian work on
several continents.” In their
acceptance speech they noted their
mission to, “Bring medical aid to
people in distress is an attempt to
defend them against what is
aggressive to them as human beings.”
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders, is an international
humanitarian organization which provides medical relief to underserved populations and to
countries in conflict or crisis. Doctors Without Borders was started in France, in 1972, by 10
doctors. Today, more than 27,000 doctors, nurses, administrators, epidemiologists, logistic
experts, laboratory technicians, mental health professionals, sanitary specialists and other
professionals work daily to carry out MSF’s humanitarian missions. MSF has provided aid to
about 80 countries, 20 of which are in conflict (Doctors Without Borders). In 1999, MSF was
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, “In recognition of the organization’s pioneering
humanitarian work on several continents” (Nobel Prize).
Dr. James Orbinski, the president of MSF at the time, accepted the award on behalf
of MSF on 10 December 1999 in Oslow, Norway. The speech was widely broadcasted, and
was the first Nobel Speech to be shown live over the internet (Doctors Without Borders). Dr.
Orbinski used the speech as a way to speak publicly of the injustices of the world. MSF
believes that providing medical relief is not enough; they strive to inform the public on the
violence, neglect, corruption, and atrocities which the MSF workers witness during their
work. Dr. Orbinski explained the importance of speaking out on these issues, stating, “We
are not sure that words can always save lives, but we know that silence can certainly kill”
(Nobel). In 1985, MSF gave a voice to the hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians who were
displaced by its government. In 1994, during the Rwandan genocide, they called for an
international military response. In 1995, MSF brought public attention to the Serbian
massacre of the civilians at Srebrenica. During the acceptance speech, Dr.Orbinski pleaded
with President Yeltsin and the Russian Ambassador to stop the bombings of the people of
Chechnya and Grozny (Doctors Without Borders). These are just a few of the examples of
MSF’s actions to bring attention to critical matters which threaten humanity. MSF workers
sometimes pay for their insistence on “blowing the whistle”; some have been kidnapped and
others murdered. In the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, hundreds of MSF volunteers were killed.
MSF sees the Nobel Peace award as honoring the lives lost, and those who risk their lives
daily, working to help correct the injustices of the world (Doctors Without Borders).
The proceeds from MSF’s Nobel Peace Prize were used to establish the Neglected
Disease Fund. The fund supports projects which help treat neglected diseases such as
sleeping sickness, leishmaniasis, tuberculosis, and malaria. These diseases are neglected
by the world at large because they mostly affect poor populations with incomes too sparse
to motivate pharmaceutical companies to seek cures for these illnesses.
Doctors Without Borders continues to give hope to the millions of people around the
world who are suffering from disease, war, malnutrition and political injustices.
Mother Teresa, by Briana Timlin
Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
in 1979 "for work undertaken in the struggle to
overcome poverty and distress, which also
constitutes a threat to peace." In her Nobel Lecture,
she spoke of the importance of spreading peace,
saying, “You must come to know the poor, maybe
our people here have material things, everything,
but I think that if we all look into our own homes,
how difficult we find it sometimes to smile at each
other, but that smile is the beginning of love…and
so let us always meet each other with a smile.”
In a world where wealth is measured by monetary status, appearances, flashy
cars and expensive jewelry, the existence of devout, selfless, volunteers seems to often
be forgotten amidst the chaotic, material-oriented lifestyle that smothers many
individuals. Mother Teresa, on the other hand, lived an incredibly simple life where she
sought to promote peace and oneness. She was a woman that selflessly lived in
poverty so that she could relentlessly help the human race, a woman that performed
countless acts of mercy so that no one was left hungry or alone. But, more than
anything, she was a woman that possessed wealth that cannot be measured on any
objective scale. The prosperity that she was endowed with came from a transcendental
place; it came from helping others by being a missionary to spread the love of Christ
and from her unbending determination to achieve peace in this world.
Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Skopje, Yugoslavia on August 26, 1910, she
was the youngest child of her Albanian family. At the age of twelve, Agnes strongly felt
the call of God and was convinced that she should commit herself to a religious life as a
missionary. The Sisters of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns with missions in India,
welcomed the eighteen year-old Agnes, who would never see her own family again.
After learning to speak English in Ireland, she used her new language to help teach
school children at the Loreto convent school in eastern Kolkata. She took her first
religious vows as a nun on May 24, 1931, when she chose the name Teresa, after Saint
Thérèse de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries.
When Sister Teresa worked at the convent, she received another call from God
that she must live among the poor if she was truly going to help them. It was after that
revelation in September 1946 that she left the convent to live among the poor. Because
she had no income, she was forced to beg for food and supplies, struggling to get by.
Faced with loneliness, pain, hunger and doubt, she would look for food but would often
become tired and her body would ache. When confronted with this, she would simply
contemplate the extent of poverty which the poor must feel and her worries would
vanish. In her diary, she recorded, “Of free choice, my God, and out of love for you, I
desire to remain and do whatever be your Holy will in my regard. I did not let a single
tear come.” Her selfless and loving nature was extraordinary.
On 7 October 1950, Mother Teresa received permission from the Vatican to start
her own order, “The Missionaries of Charity.” Its purpose was to care for “the hungry,
the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel
unwanted, unloved, uncared for throughout society, people that have become a burden
to the society and are shunned by everyone." With the help of charitable funding, she
was able to open shelters, homes, hospices, orphanages, and leper houses all over
India. These outreach clinics provided medications, bandages and food. In one of her
compelling statements she said, “I try to give to the poor people for love what the rich
could get for money. No, I wouldn’t touch a leper for a thousand pounds; yet I willingly
cure him for the love of God,” epitomizing her heavenly and altruistic mentality.
Along with being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, Mother Teresa
received many other accolades for her lifetime dedication to missionary work. She
refused her ceremonial Laureate banquet and asked instead that the $192,000 of
allocated funds for the banquet be given to the poor in India. During her gripping Nobel
Peace Prize acceptance speech, given on 11 December 1979 in Oslo, Norway, Mother
Teresa motivated her audience to spread love and peace by sharing with one another
and putting one’s ideas into action.
Mother Teresa sacrificed her life for the wellbeing of others and was at peace
with herself in doing so. She is one of the most influential figures of our time and
possessed a magnitude of strength and courage of which most people could only hope
to attain a fraction of throughout their lifetime. She was dedicated to making people feel
wanted; she did not follow the jaded, tainted rubric that the rest of our world follows
when it comes to measuring the value of one’s life. The poorest people, in her eyes,
were those who “had it all” in the material sense, but lived a life without love. She was
genuinely saddened by situations of the absence of love and peace. She theorized that
“if we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” Her
accomplishments have left people in awe. She was a simple woman that followed
simple morals: love one another and spread peace.
Oscar Arias Sanchez, by Emily Fiore
Oscar Arias Sanchez the recipient of the
1987 Nobel Peace Prize, firmly held that, “A
prerequisite for lasting peace is realization of
democratic ideals, with freedom and equality
for all.” In the highlight of his Nobel lecture,
Sanchez said, “I do not share this defeatism.
I cannot accept that to be a realist means to
tolerate misery, violence, and hate. I do not
believe that a hungry man who expresses his
suffering should be treated as a subversive. I
can never accept that the law be used to
justify tragedy, that things must remain as
they are, that we must abandon all thoughts
of a different world. The law is the path of
freedom and as such must offer equal
opportunity for the development of all.”
Oscar Arias Sanchez was born in 1940 in the province of Heredia, Costa Rica.
Sanchez’s family was in the coffee business and therefore very wealthy, but this did not affect
the feeling of brotherhood he would come to share with all Costa Ricans. In 1948 President
Jose Figueres Ferrer made the historic decision to abolish the Costa Rican army. This was a
seminal event in Sanchez’s life. As president, one of his central political ideas is that no country
needs the military to ensure safety and stability. He said famously, “We need to understand that
the security of a state does not necessarily come from the military. The true security of state
comes from the quality of life of the people.”
Sanchez received an extensive education, studying medicine, law and economics in
Costa Rica, the United States, and England. He returned to Costa Rica in 1970 to work for
former President Figueres Ferrer, who was seeking reelection. When Figueres Ferrer won in
1972, Sanchez was appointed Minister of National Planning and Political Economy. In 1975, the
National Liberation Party elected him International Secretary and in 1979, General Secretary.
After working for several other political campaigns, Sanchez was elected President of Costa
Rica in 1986.
At the time of Sanchez’s first election, Latin America was facing many political
challenges, some of them violent. The Sandinistas had overthrown the Somoza dynasty in
Nicaragua and the US was training Contras in Honduras and Costa Rica. Latin America was
also becoming the battleground of the Cold War. Sanchez’s first objective as president was to
remove Costa Rica from any involvement, direct or indirect, in the Cold War conflict. His
presidential predecessors had allowed the United States to build a clandestine airport on Costa
Rican soil. Sanchez saw this as a violation of Costa Rica’s proclaimed neutrality and quickly
reversed this precedent. The United States was pressuring Costa Rica to militarize and defeat
the Sandinistas, even threatening economic sanctions. However, Sanchez refused to acquiesce
and argued that the US Contra forces were more of a problem than a solution. In May 1986,
Sanchez began talks with the presidents of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua
to discuss proposals for a Central American Peace Plan. In 1987, an agreement was finally
reached and all five presidents met in Guatemala to sign what would become known as the
Esquipulas II Accords or the Procedure to Establish a Firm and Lasting Peace in Central
America. This remains one of Sanchez’s most notable political successes to date. Sanchez
recounted a more intimate moment of the meeting,
When we five Central American presidents were crossing the plaza to enter the National
Cathedral of Guatemala for a mass of thanksgiving after signing the peace plan, there
was an indigenous woman on one side of the crowd, her hair braided and her feet bare.
She was holding a child and her face was full of the sadness and resignation that
marked so many Central Americans at that time, who had witnessed too many years of
violence. After the mass, we came out of the cathedral and were again crossing the
plaza, and the woman approached me. She said, “Thank you, señor Presidente, for this
son and the one who is fighting.” I will never forget that woman and the ratification she
gave to all my efforts in favor of the peace plan. In my heart, her words will always be
more important than those of the international press, academic analysts, and political
pundits. She spoke with the voice of the people, and it humbled me. That was a great
day (Guernica Magazine).
President Oscar Arias Sanchez truly is a people’s president. Using the money that would
normally be used for military development, he continues to work to better the educational and
living standards of his people. He feels confident and safe in Costa Rica, dining in public
restaurants and driving his own car. This complete commitment to peace, security, and
nonviolence sets a powerful example for his fellow citizens. Sanchez has vast wisdom to share
for any world leader that is striving to develop peace as well as a sage awareness of the world’s
tenuous political atmosphere. He is a powerful voice for Latin America, an optimist, an idealist,
and one of the greatest political treasures in the world today.
For More Information
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1987/index.html
http://www.worldtrek.org/odyssey/latinamerica/oscar/oscarbio.html
http://www.scu.edu/ethics/architects-of-peace/Sanchez/essay.html
http://www.guernicamag.com/interviews/36/oscar_arias_snchez/
http://www.mssu.edu/international/Latinam/speech.htm
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, by Colleen Ryan
“ Burma, a country of around 50 million people is ruled
by fear. A military machine of 500,000 soldiers denies a
whole nation its most basic rights. Aung San Suu Kyi,
pro- democracy leader and Nobel Prize winner,
symbolizes the struggle of Burma’s people to be
free.”(Burmacampaign.org)
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi (pronounced Ong San
Soo Chee) was born in Rangoon, Burma, On June
19,1945. Her mother Daw Khin Kyi was Burma’s only
woman ambassador to India and Nepal. Her father,
General Aung San led independence movements and
was assassinated in 1947. Aung San Suu Kyi was
educated in Rangoon until she left for New Delhi with
her mother at age fifteen. From 1969 to 1971, Suu Kyi
was the Assistant secretary on the United Nations
Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary
concerns. In 1972, she worked at the Ministry of foreign
affairs in Bhutan as the Research Officer. She also
married an English scholar Dr. Michael Aris and had
two sons. Her life turned when in 1988 she returned
home to Burma to care for her sick mother.
Nobel Prize citation: “For her non‐violent struggle for democracy and human rights..the Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to honor this women for her unflagging efforts and to show its support for the many people throughout the world who are striving to attain democracy, human rights and ethnic conciliation by peaceful means” Nobel Peace Prize Award speech: “In the good fight for peace and reconciliation, we are dependent on persons who set examples, persons who can symbolize what we are seeking and mobilize the best in us. Aung San Suu Kyi is just such a person. She unites deep commitment and tenacity with In 1988, mass demonstrations were taking
place nationwide for Democracy, and Suu Kyi took a
leading role. She joined the NLD, National League for
Democracy and gave many speeches advocating for
freedom and democracy. The regime responded with
force and killed 5,000 demonstrators. In 1989, the
military placed Suu Kyi under house arrest. Amnesty
international declared her a prisoner of conscience.
Even though NLD leaders including Daw Suu Kyi were arrested, the party won the election by
82 %. Still, the military junta refused to honor the election results.
Daw Suu Kyi’s containment gained her national and international attention. She
continued to deny offers to leave the country because she would never be allowed back in.
While contained in 1990, Aung San Su Kyi was awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of
Thought and the Rafto Prize and the Jawaharlal peace prize by the Government of India. In
1991, she won the Nobel Peace Prize for insisting on nonviolence in Burma’s struggle for
democracy. Since she was under house arrest and not allowed to leave at the time, her son
received the award for her.
“I know that she would begin by saying that she accepts the Nobel Prize for Peace not in her own name but in the name of all people of Burma…to all those men, women, and children who, even as I speak, continue to sacrifice their wellbeing, their freedom and their lives in pursuit of a democratic Burma. Theirs is the prize and theirs will be the eventual victory in Burma’s long struggle for peace freedom and democracy” Her initial detainment ended in 1995, but she was put under house arrest again in 2000.
In May of 2003 at the time of Depayin massacre where 100 supporters were beaten to death by
the regime’s militia she was detained again. Suu Kyi is still detained today. Her phone has been
cut, her mail is intercepted, and the NLD volunteers providing her security at her compound
were removed in 2004. Yet, she continues to maintain her position, “It is not power that corrupts
but fear.”
Today, Burma is considered one of the most brutal and corrupt regimes in the world.
They are responsible for many human rights abuses: the widespread use of forced labor,
murder, detainment without trial, massive forced relocations-over 1 million people forced from
their homes, 2,100 political prisoners who are often tortured, 70,000 child soldiers(more than
any nations in the world), and using rape to maintain force. Under their rule, the standard of
living has fallen with half the government budget spent on the military. Today in Burma, one in
ten children die before the age of five. The International Labor Organization (ILO) has charged
Burma’s regime with a “crime against humanity.”
On December 10, 1991, Suu Kyi’s son Alexander Aris accepted her Nobel Peace Prize.
In the acceptance speech, he explained: “This regime has through almost thirty years of misrule
reduced the once prosperous “Golden Land” of Burma to one of the world’s most economically
destitute nations.” He continued: “We must remember that the lonely struggle taking place in a
heavily guarded compound in Rangoon is part of the much larger struggle, worldwide, for the
emancipation of the human spirit from political tyranny and psychological subjection.” He quotes
his mother “To live the full life one must have the courage to bear the responsibility of the needs
of others…the quest for democracy in Burma is the struggle of a people to live whole,
meaningful lives as free and equal members of the world community. It is part of the unceasing
human endeavor to prove that the spirit of man can transcend the flaws of his nature”
Wangari Maathai, by Anthony Antonecchia Wangari Maathai was awarded
The Nobel Peace Prize in 2004,
“For her contribution to
sustainable development,
democracy and peace.”
She was recognized for collectively planting
over 30 million trees of peace, trees of conflict
resolution, trees of reconciliation, and trees of
democracy as part of her Green Belt
Movement. The trees that were planted were
planted for prisoners of conscience, food,
shelter, education, household needs, employment, soils, watersheds, and
feminine empowerment.
In her Nobel lecture, or acceptance speech, she noted that, “Those of us
who are privileged receivers of education, skills, experiences, and even
power must be role models for the next generation of leadership. We must
come to understand that while it is necessary to raise our voices and hold
our governments accountable, it is equally important that in our own
relationships with each other, we exemplify the leadership values we wish
to see in leaders, namely justice, integrity and trust.”
We should rediscover the positive aspects of our culture, and accept them
for a sense of belonging, identity, and self-confidence.
Interconnected are our govern-and-environ-ments. “Let us embrace
democratic governance, protect human rights and protect our environment.
I am confident that we shall rise to the occasion. I have always believed
that solutions to most of our problems must come from……us.” “The choice
is……..ours.” “That time is……….now.” Drawing of Maathai by Antonecchia
End Note
A majority of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates more than
deserve their awards for their efforts to bring peace
and justice to the world. There are, however, many
people who are not recognized for their work for
peace. One prime example is Eleanor Roosevelt. As
one of the leaders in the development of international
human rights doctrines, and an author of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, she could
have been recognized by the Nobel Committee but,
regrettably, was not. This page is a tribute to all those
who have done great work for humanity but have not
been recognized for their efforts.
-Mike Napolitano
Eleanor Roosevelt with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 (Copyright UNHCHR)
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Professor Mar Peter-Raoul’s class
Praxis I+II:
Marist College Public Praxis Project
3399 North Road
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
http://www.marist.edu/liberalarts/philrel/pubpraxis/
http://www.praxivism.blogspot.com