Nobel Laureate Biographies

Shirin Ebadi

(Nobel Peace Prize, 2003)

A respected attorney and the first female judge in Iran, Ebadi continues her passionate struggle for human rights despite the fact that the Iranian revolution left her stripped of her judge's seat and unable to practice law for many years. Ebadi has survived imprisonment and two assassination attempts for her insistence on speaking out for the rights of women and children in a fundamentalist Islamic society. She will speak about remaining resolute in the face of real and perceived danger and of guiding children toward a more peaceful future.

“Being afraid is an instinct, like hunger - wanting or not wanting, you become hungry. It's natural to say yes, I'm afraid, but through the years I've learned to overcome my fear and not let fear interfere with my work. In the end, I feel there is a god and he'll do the right thing.”

Aung San Suu Kyi

(Nobel Peace Prize, 1991)

Braving house arrest, ambush and attack Suu Kyi is a powerful force for peace and democracy in Burma/Myanmar. In 1989, she had returned to Burma from England to care for her ailing mother, and made the difficult decision to stay and work for freedom and democracy, though that meant separation form her husband and two sons.

Her party, the National League for Democracy, was elected by a landslide victory in May 1990. Rather than being able to take office, she was placed under house arrest for many years by the military government. Her husband, denied visitation although he had terminal cancer, died while she was in detention.

She will talk about how she has faced difficult choices without fear and will emphasize the importance of dialogue in creating understanding.

On May 30, 2003, Daw Suu and members of her party were ambushed; many were killed. After being imprisoned for nearly four months, she is currently again being detained under house arrest. Aung San Suu Kyi:

“I never learned to hate my captors…I am not afraid.”

His Holiness The Dalai Lama

(Nobel Peace Prize, 1989)

Tenzin Gyatso was born to be the spiritual and political leader of Tibet. He was only fifteen years old when he had to assume political leadership, and just twenty-four when he led his people into exile after the Chinese military invasion of his country.

Despite the violence perpetrated against Tibet and its people, he has stood for peace, maintained an open door to dialogue with the Chinese government and offered friendship to the Chinese people. Throughout the world, he teaches the art of making more skillful responses to violence, creating more peaceful, happier lives.

His Holiness will speak about the effect that making peace within ourselves has on the body, health and society at large. His Holiness the Dalai Lama:

“Even though it is difficult to try to bring about peace through inner transformation, that is the only way of establishing sustainable peace in the world.”

Adolfo Perez Esquivel

(Nobel Peace Prize, 1980)

An architect, sculptor and teacher from Argentina, Esquivel was imprisoned and tortured by the Argentine military for his human rights activities, becoming one of “the disappeared.” He felt that he was saved from permanent harm because he never allowed himself to be drawn into hating the people who tortured him.

Esquivel will tell us how he managed his emotions in such a brutal environment, how he survived his torture and why other prisoners –who broke down spiritually and emotionally--did not.

Decades later, Esquivel’s strength of spirit fuels his effectiveness in the world: he stands as one of Latin America’s leading activists, working for social and economic justice through non-violent means. He will talk about social justice as a necessary element of peace. Adolfo Perez Esquivel:

“I come from a continent that lives between anguish and hope. For this continent where I live the power of nonviolence presents itself, I am convinced, as a challenge that opens up new and radical perspectives.”

Mairead Corrigan Maguire

(Nobel Peace Prize, 1976)

A 32-year-old executive secretary, Corrigan Maguire's young niece and nephews were killed on a street in Belfast. Her sister later committed suicide. Maired responded to this tragedy by making an appeal for peace on a local television station. She then co-founded Peace People, an organization devoted to ending political and domestic violence. Because of the work of the Peace People, sectarian violence was reduced by 70% in four short months and has never returned to its previous level.

Corrigan Maguire will speak to the profound internal struggles and outside pressures she faced in making the choice for peace, and how an “ordinary” woman like herself was able to do so. Mairead Corrigan Maguire:

“All of us must therefore make our own pilgrimage to peace. This pilgrimage is unique. It must go in two directions. One road leads inward to the depths of our being; the other road leads outward to your fellow human beings and the universe. For many, the inner road is less known and less traveled.”

Betty Williams

(Nobel Peace Prize, 1976)

A secretary, waitress and mother of two young children, Williams co-founded the Peace People with Mairead Corrigan Maguire. Born to a Catholic mother and Protestant father in Northern Ireland, she lost family members on both sides of “the troubles”. The death of Corrigan Maguire’s niece and nephews was a call to action for Williams. Now living in the Republic of Ireland, she remains a passionate advocate on behalf of children.

She will speak to her deep sense of frustration and helplessness in the face of the violence around her, and explain how that frustration exploded into the choice for peace. Betty Williams:

“If we take up the gauntlet of peace and justice, and we take it up with a mighty heart – there is nothing we cannot do.”