Obama Third US Black Nobel Peace Prize Winner
At-a-Glance Facts: Nobel Peace Award and African-Americans, Africans
Oct 9, 2009
Upon hearing of the Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to US President Barack Obama, many online news outlets heralded the incorrect fact that he was the first African-American to win this high profile honor. In fact, he is the third African American to win the Nobel Peace Prize. It's a rare honor. A small percent of Nobel Peace Prize winners were, or are, black.
The first African-American, and in fact the first person of African descent, to win the Nobel Peace Prize, in 1950, was Dr. Ralph Bunche. The second, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was awarded the prize in 1964.
The following outlines facts at a glance about the statistics, nationality, gender and timeline of black winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, from its beginning in 1901 until 2009.
Who Are the 8 African and African-American Winners of the Nobel Peace Prize?
- Ralph Bunche, 1950
- Albert John Lutul, 1960
- Martin Luther King, Jr., 1964
- Desmond Mpilo Tutu, shared with F.W. de Klerk, 1984
- Nelson Mandela, 1993
- Kofi Annan, shared with the UN, 2001
- Wangari Muta Maatha, 2004
- Barack Obama, 2009
Information about the Nobel Peace Prize, biographies, and a history of the Nobel Peace Prize, can be found at the Website of the Nobel Peace Foundation.
The Nobel Peace prize is just one of several Nobel Prizes. Africans and African-American have won other Nobel Prizes, for instance Toni Morrison who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993.
Statistics on African and African-American Winners of Nobel Peace Prize, At-a-Glance
- Only 120 individuals and institutions have won the Nobel Peace Prize since its founding in 1901.
- Of all winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, 97 have been individuals, and 23 have been organizations, including the UN itself (which shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Kofi Annan in 2001).
- Eight of the 97 individual Nobel Peace Prize winners have been African or African-American.
- 12% of Nobel Peace Prize winners through 2009 have been African or African-American.
- A handful of other Noble Peace Prize winners have been female or people of color who are not African or African-American.
Nationality, Gender of African and African American Winners of Nobel Peace Prize, At-a-Glance
- Three of the eight African or African-American winners of the Nobel Peace Prize have been American citizens. One is the current sitting President of the United States, Barack Obama, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2009. The others were Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and diplomat Ralph Bunche.
- The five Nobel Peace Prizes awarded to Africans honored the following individuals: Bishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, and Albert Lutul, all of South Africa, as well as Wangari Muta Maatha of Kenya, and Kofi Annan of Ghana.
- Three Nobel Peace Prizes were awarded to South Africans: Bishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, and Albert Lutul.
- Of the three Nobel Peace Prizes awarded to South Africans, one was shared with a white man: Nelson Mandela with F.W. de Klerk.
- The US and South Africa represent the majority of black Nobel Peace Prize winners.
- Only one African or African-American who is female has won the Nobel Peace Prize: Wangari Muta Maatha of Kenya.
Timeline for African and African American Winners of Nobel Peace Prize, At-a-Glance
- In its 108-year history, the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Africans or African-Americans eight times.
- There were no African or African-American Nobel Peace Prize winners before World War II.
- 2009 was the first time in 45 years for an African-American to win the Nobel Peace Prize. The time gap between the two previous African-American winners of the Nobel Peace Prize, Ralph Bunche and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was 14 years.
- Barack Obama was born in 1961, and was three years old in 1964 when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. won the Nobel Peace Prize.
About the Nobel Prizes
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of several Nobel Prizes. Since 1901, Nobel Prizes have been given in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and for peace. The program is one of the world's most prestigious international awards. It is administered by the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden.
 |
