Leymah Gbowee

Leymah Gbowee is a Nobel Peace Laureate and peace activist, recognized for her instrumental role in ending Liberia’s civil war and advocating for women’s rights. After strategically mobilizing thousands of women through the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace from 2002 to 2003, Leymah Gbowee’s nonviolent activism proved instrumental in bringing an end to Liberia’s fourteen-year civil war. Having earned an Associate of Arts degree in social work in 2001 from Mother Patern College of Health Sciences in Monrovia, Gbowee became a founding member and Liberia Coordinator of the Women in Peacebuilding Network (WIPNET) in 2002. Inspired by her vision, she formed an interfaith coalition with a Muslim partner, leading thousands of women in weeks-long nonviolent public protests, including sit-ins and a sex strike, to pressure then-President Charles Taylor to participate in peace talks in Accra, Ghana.

In 2013, Leymah Gbowee was appointed as a Distinguished Fellow in Social Justice at Barnard College, further amplifying her voice and advocacy on a global platform. As a Nobel Peace Laureate, she continues to serve as an internationally recognized leader and advocate for peace, women’s rights, and social justice, leveraging the platforms of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa and her ongoing humanitarian work to create lasting change and foster peace in communities worldwide.