Nobel Peace Prize Awards

How exciting. There are three women this year who have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Incredibly, the first woman to be awarded was Wangari Maathai, the environmental activist who did amazing work in Kenya. We just watched a film about her work, which won her the Peace Prize in 2004. The film makes powerful and effortless links between civic duty, participatory democracy, education, grassroots activism, community building, human health, environmental consciousness, human rights, and women's participation at all levels of society. Wangari Maathai, who recently passed away, fought hard and long and wisely for environmental justice.

These women follow in this tradition, fighting peacefully and powerfully for human rights: the first woman elected to the presidency in Africa (Ellen Johnson Sirleaf), the leader of the interfaith women's peace activism that brought an end to civil war in Liberia (Leymah Gbowee), and a pro-democracy activist in Yemen (Tawakul Karman), are the first women to be awarded the prize since it was awarded to Maathai in 2004.

The book club has touched on the work of all of these women except Karman. Human Rights Watch reminds us that the work is not over, and that with the Prize, more dangerous and important work awaits. Here's to the possibility of more women being recognized across the world for their incredible work for peace by taking on important challenges in human rights, justice, women's equality, democracy, health, the environment, education, conflict resolution, the arts... and more.