We’re halfway through the 12 women in history awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.  Today we take a look at three more humanitarian activists to receive this honor.

7. Alva Myrdal - Alva Myrdal was a Swedish sociologist and politician who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982.  She contributed to the development of the Swedish welfare state and was later appointed to head a U.N. committee on welfare, the first woman to receive such a high appointment in the organization.  She additionally worked with the U.N. on matters of disarmament, and won the award for her vocal support of this cause along with Alfonso Garcia Robles.

Quote: “We can hope that men will understand that the interest of all are the same, that hope lies in cooperation. We can then perhaps keep PEACE.”
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8. Aung San Suu Kyi - When Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, she was unable to attend due to her detention by the military dictatorship in Myanmar (Burma).  An advocate for the democratization of the country, Aung San Suu Kyi won the 1990 general election by 82% but the military refused to hand over power.  Influenced by the peaceful politics of Ghandi and the Buddhist tradition to which she belongs, she has refused to leave the country whose freedom she fights for.  She has spent 14 of the last 20 years under house arrest, beginning in 1989 after she helped form the National League for Democracy.  She used the $1.3 million Nobel Peace Prize money to establish a health and education trust for the Burmese people.  You can learn more by getting involved with the US Campaign for Burma.

Quote: “It is often in the name of cultural integrity as well as social stability and national security that democratic reforms based on human rights are resisted by authoritarian governments.”

9. Rigoberta Menchú Tum – Rigoberta Menchú Tum is an indigenous Guatemalan of Mayan ancestry.  Having lived through the Guatemalan Civil War, which lasted 36 years (1960-1996), Menchú has been a vocal critic of the atrocities suffered by the indigenous population of the country though the bloody war, which cost over 200,000 lives and included more than 400 massacres.  While many of her family members enlisted in guerrilla armies, Menchú instead took a route of politics and activism to call attention to these crimes, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 for her nonviolent approach.

Quote: “We have learned that change cannot come through war.  War is not a feasible tool to use in fighting against the oppression we face.  War has caused more problems.  We cannot embrace that path.”

Check back tomorrow for the most recent three women to win the Nobel Peace Prize, Jody Williams, Shirin Ebadi, and Wangari Maathai, concluding our short series.