Celebrating three brilliant African Americans who pursued peace through inclusion

As quietly as it is kept and ironically as it happens to be, three brilliant African Americans share the date of December 10. On that date in 1950 Dr. Ralph Bunche was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize; December 10, 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King was given the same award; and on December 10, 2001, it was given to President Barack Obama.

While it may go unnoted by many, the significance of it should be noted by not just African Americans but by all who have a stake in the health and survival of democracy and the idea of the brotherhood of mankind. It is of primary importance for peace at home and around the world. 

It should be noted that the Nobel Peace Prize is not some American award or one that comes from a civil rights group, although there is nothing wrong with legitimate awards sponsored by America or by committed civil rights groups. The Nobel Peace Prize, however, is an international award presented in Oslo, Norway, each year since 1901. Its recipients are secretly selected and then announced to the world. There are also Nobel awards in chemistry, economic sciences, literature, physiology or medicine, and physics, but the one for peace is the most prestigious.

In reviewing the three African American Nobel Peace Prize awardees, we begin with Dr. Ralph Bunche, who received the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, 1950. He had such a brilliant career as a diplomat and with the United Nations until it would have been difficult for the committee to have ignored him for the prize.

Having said that, Bunche was given the nod for having negotiated an armistice between Egypt and Israel. This was no easy feat since similar to the Middle East tensions and conflicts today, there were bitter feelings at that time. Israel had only recently been established in 1948, in the middle of the Arab relatives of the displaced Palestinians. This is what had led to the war. Bunche had brought peace. 

After the awards ceremony, Bunche continued to involve himself in the decolonialization efforts in Africa and in the civil rights efforts in the United States. During the period of the 1960s, he achieved vast popularity in Black America, making an appearance at an NAACP-sponsored rally in Jackson and at Jackson State College. In all of this, he represented the USA and the UN, demonstrating a commitment to peace and of inclusion on both stages.

Dr. King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. At the time, King had been a civil rights leader since 1955. By December 1964, he had led marches in Alabama, Mississippi, Chicago, Detroit, D.C., and elsewhere. Through non-violent protests, civil disobedience, and powerful speeches, he had been a major catalyst in getting the Civil Rights Act of 1964 enacted.

Apparently, the selection committee was impressed by his body of work and his commitment to achieving racial justice through inclusion and non-violence. That is also the very thing that led to his martyrdom and to the movement to have a national holiday declared in his honor. It is noteworthy that he was not a governmental leader at any level. He was merely an activist and organizer for a cause and a people who were without power and thus at the mercy of Jim Crow policies and racial discrimination. 

King’s life has continued to serve as a model for many young people, leaders, and would-be leaders. That fact underscores the wisdom of the committee in having awarded him the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10, 1964.

Forty-five years later, on December 10, 2009, while much of the country was still euphoric over the election of the first African American as president of the United States of America, Barack Obama was given the award. On the other hand, Obama’s election so incensed many racists until there was an intense political backlash in Congress and around the country against him and against Black candidates and Black political ideas.

Unlike King, Obama did not have an extensive body of work. His election reflected his brilliance as a speaker, organizer, and unifier. Although he was Black, he helped bury race as an issue. He demonstrated superiority in the areas of family, law, and public service. He also demonstrated a commitment to inclusion and peace through justice. It was those things that led to his receiving the award. 

Like King, Obama’s ability to re-build the American economy and to adroitly lead the country in foreign affairs showed again the wisdom of the Nobel committee in choosing him in 2001. Obama went on to serve two terms without any hint of corruption or scandal. He had also helped heighten the level of peace at home and abroad.

For those who may be wondering or are interested in knowing, in addition to Bunche, King, and Obama, nine other persons of African descent have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Those African brothers and sisters are: Chief Albert John Luthuli of South Africa, Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, President Nelson Mandela of South Africa, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan of Ghana, Wangari Maathai of Kenya, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, Leymah Gbowee of Liberia, Denis Mukwege of the Congo, and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia. These, too, have served as excellent representatives of the idea of inclusion as a positive element for peace.