JUNE 2020

​Shirin Ebadi
June 21, 1941 to Present 

Dr. Ebadi, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003, for the decades she spent in fighting for human rights in Iran, her home country. Prior to the 1979 Revolution, she was the first woman president of the Tehran City Court. Through this position she moved to expand the rights of women, and although she loss of her position, it did not prevent her from continuing her fight for the rights of women and children in Iran. On several occasions this fight lead her to conflicts with the people in power, however Dr. Ebadi did not yield in her efforts. In 1993, she could practice law again, and since has continued to argue for the rights of women and children. In addition, to fighting in court, Ebadi started up many social organizations to support the needs of women and children and to fight for their rights. Her legal work continues to this day with growing support from both local and foreign groups coming to aid. 

Bertha Von Suttner
​June 9, 1843 to June 21, 1914 

The first woman to earn the Nobel Peace Prize in 1905, Baroness Bertha von Suttner spent her life alongside her husband to promote peace among the European power during the close of the 19th century and up until her death a mere month before the First World War. She worked alongside Alfred Nobel as his secretary. During this time, she wrote many articles and books arguing for peace among nation and traveled across Europe spreading their message of peace on the income she and her husband earned in teaching language and music. The Baroness was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (1905) for her participation in the International Peace Conference in Boston in 1904 and for her many decades of work in the name of Peace. While her work did not prevent the powder keg that was Europe from exploding a month after her death, but her legacy work Die Waffen Nieder (Lay Down Your Amrs) has been published in 12 languages and has 37 editions. It continues to be popular in some circles and is an influential part in current works. 

​​Aruna Roy
June 26, 1956 to Present 

Aruna Roy is an activist in India whose focus is on getting more resources to the poorer communities of her nation. While the nation of India does have governmental resources to aid the poor, Roy took notice that it was not enough and has spent much of her adult and professional life in correcting this issue. She has co-founded the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) in 1987, a social grassroots organization that is meant to empower, as well as established the Rights of Information Act (RTI) for the people of India. Her life has been dedicated to aid those who had been neglected by her nation's government and making already available organizations much more reliable. For her efforts she received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership (2000) and the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence in Public Administration, Academia and Management (2010) was bestowed upon her for her continued efforts to improve her nation.