The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, women’s rights activist Leymah Gbowee also from Liberia, and democracy activist Tawakkul Karman of Yemen.
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These three outstanding women were recognized for dedicating their lives to the non-violent struggle for women’s rights and their incredible peace-building work to make the world a better place.
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Each of these amazing women exhibit qualities that make them unique, an integral part of why they made such an impact and succeeded on changing their country.
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For instance, one was named one of the ten best leaders in the world by Newseek magazine, another was the youngest ever to receive the honor of the Noble Peace Prize and one was the main character in a 2008 documentary.
Ellen Johnson, Sirleaf Tawakkul Karman and Leymah Gbowee are the Queens of Peace and here are their stories.
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Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Is An O.G.:
In 2010, Sirleaf was named one of Newsweek magazine’s ten best leaders in the world, and they were correct. Sirleaf has been the face of the Liberian revolution since the late 1970s and at 72, is the only female head of state in Africa.
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Sirleaf came to the United States in 1961 and earned an accounting degree at Madison Business College, in Madison, Wisconsin, and a degree in economics from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
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Sirleaf is the 24th and current President of Liberia, she has been serving as the head of state since 2006, she is also the mother of four sons.
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Leymah Gbowee:
Gbowee is a 39-year-old mother of six who has, along with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, been fighting for the rights of Liberian youth since she was 17 when the First Liberian Civil War erupted. There, Gbowee worked as a trauma counselor during the war, advising ex-child soldiers.
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White T Gang:
In an effort to bring peace to a war torn nation, Gbowee organized the woman of Liberia to dress in white t-shirts to symbolize peace. The women became a political force against violence and against their government.
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Leymah Gbowee is a film star, she was the central character in the 2008 documentary film Pray the Devil Back to Hell.
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Tawakkul Karman:
A progressive thinker from the jump, the proclaimed mother of Yemen, Tawakkul Karman created the human rights group Women Journalists Without Chains (WJWC) in 2005, with the main principles of freedom of opinion and expression.
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Karman is a fighter, there isn’t a protest of movement in Yemen that she isn’t a part of. Karman wears many hats, a politician, activist and writer. Not to mention she is the mother of three children.
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At 32, Karman is one of the youngest winners of a Nobel Peace Prize. Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights leader, won the coveted honor when he was 35 years old.
