Nobel Peace Prize Winner to Speak at Buffalo State
Nobel Peace Prize winner Betty Williams will speak at Buffalo State College on Nov. 12 at 7:30 p.m. in Rockwell Hall. Williams, along with Mairead Maguire, won the Nobel in 1976 for her work against violence in her native Northern Ireland.
One of only ten women to have won the Nobel Peace Prize, Williams will speak as part of the Buffalo State College's Monroe Fordham Regional History Center lecture series.
"Here is an extraordinary woman whose sensitivity to the plight of children and ordinary folk impelled her to take an active role in transforming the climate and conditions of life in northern Ireland - just an extraordinary testimony to what ordinary, decent people can do - and did do to make life better for children and ordinary people in northern Ireland and subsequently throughout the world," said E.O. Smith, Buffalo State College Distinguished Service professor and chair of the History and Social Studies Education Department.
Together, Williams and Maguire founded the Community of Peace People, a movement of Catholics and Protestants dedicated to ending sectarian fighting in Northern Ireland. She has traveled with other Nobel Peace Prize winners to troubled spots throughout the world where the cause of peace and especially the safety and well-being of children are at risk. Williams has been honored with many awards, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Award, the Eleanor Roosevelt Award and the Frank Foundation Child Care International Oliver Award. She currently serves as president of the World Centers of Compassion for Children.
The Monroe Fordham Regional History Center was created last year to promote the study of regional history, provide for scholarly publications and research and foster the inclusion of regional history in the curricula of Western New York school systems.
The event, which is free and open to the public, is made possible by the leadership of Russ Maxwell, chair, and the Monroe Fordham Regional History Center Citizen Advisory Committee, and the generous support of Rural/Metro Ambulance.
One of only ten women to have won the Nobel Peace Prize, Williams will speak as part of the Buffalo State College's Monroe Fordham Regional History Center lecture series.
"Here is an extraordinary woman whose sensitivity to the plight of children and ordinary folk impelled her to take an active role in transforming the climate and conditions of life in northern Ireland - just an extraordinary testimony to what ordinary, decent people can do - and did do to make life better for children and ordinary people in northern Ireland and subsequently throughout the world," said E.O. Smith, Buffalo State College Distinguished Service professor and chair of the History and Social Studies Education Department.
Together, Williams and Maguire founded the Community of Peace People, a movement of Catholics and Protestants dedicated to ending sectarian fighting in Northern Ireland. She has traveled with other Nobel Peace Prize winners to troubled spots throughout the world where the cause of peace and especially the safety and well-being of children are at risk. Williams has been honored with many awards, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Award, the Eleanor Roosevelt Award and the Frank Foundation Child Care International Oliver Award. She currently serves as president of the World Centers of Compassion for Children.
The Monroe Fordham Regional History Center was created last year to promote the study of regional history, provide for scholarly publications and research and foster the inclusion of regional history in the curricula of Western New York school systems.
The event, which is free and open to the public, is made possible by the leadership of Russ Maxwell, chair, and the Monroe Fordham Regional History Center Citizen Advisory Committee, and the generous support of Rural/Metro Ambulance.
Media Contact:
Elizabeth Stone, News Services Intern | 7168784235 | newsservices@bscmail.buffalostate.edu