Betty Williams
Betty Williams (born 22 May, 1943) was a co-recipient with Mairead Corrigan of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 (the prize for 1976) for as a cofounder of Community of Peace People, an organization dedicated to promoting a peaceful resolution to The Troubles in Northern Ireland. She heads the Global Children's Foundation and is President of the World Centers of Compassion for Children International. She is also the Chair of Institute for Asian Democracy in Washington D.C. and a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Nova Southeastern University.
Peace petition
She was drawn into the public arena after witnessing the death of three Catholic children on 10 August, 1976 when they were hit by a car whose driver, an IRA fugitive named Danny Lennon, was fatally shot by British authorities (see[1]). Williams was driving in her car with one of her children when she heard gunfire. She turned the corner to her street and saw the three Maguire children and rushed to help. Their mother, Anne Maguire, who was with them, eventually committed suicide in 1980 after a failed attempt to start a new life in New Zealand.
Within two days of the tragic event, she had obtained 6,000 signatures on a petition for peace and gained media attention. Together with Mairead Corrigan, Anne Maguire's sister, she cofounded the Women for Peace which later, with co-founder Ciaran McKeown became The Community for Peace People.
The two organized a peace march to the graves of the children, which was attended by 10,000 Protestant and Catholic women — the peaceful march was disrupted by members of the Irish Republican Army, who accused them of being "dupes of the British" (see[2]). The following week, Williams and Corrigan again led a march — this time with 35,000 participants.
On 13 August, the day of the Maguire children's funeral, Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan were to appear with journalist Ciaran McKeown, on a current affairs television program, and although they arrived too late, they met McKeown, who joined the two women in founding the Peace People. McKeown wrote the original Declaration and organized the rally supporting it (see[3]).
Declaration of the Peace People
First Declaration Of The Peace People
- We have a simple message to the world from this movement for Peace.
- We want to live and love and build a just and peaceful society.
- We want for our children, as we want for ourselves, our lives at home, at work, and at play to be lives of joy and Peace.
- We recognize that to build such a society demands dedication, hard work, and courage.
- We recognize that there are many problems in our society which are a source of conflict and violence.
- We recognize that every bullet fired and every exploding bomb make that work more difficult.
- We reject the use of the bomb and the bullet and all the techniques of violence.
- We dedicate ourselves to working with our neighbours, near and far, day in and day out, to build that peaceful society in which the tragedies we have known are a bad memory and a continuing warning.[4]
(signature)
Nobel prize
The dramatic display of support for peace that the two women had organized led to their joint receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 (the prize for 1976).
In her acceptance speech, Williams said,
"That first week will always be remembered of course for something else besides the birth of the Peace People. For those most closely involved, the most powerful memory of that week was the death of a young republican and the deaths of three children struck by the dead man's car. A deep sense of frustration at the mindless stupidity of the continuing violence was already evident before the tragic events of that sunny afternoon of August 10,1976. But the deaths of those four young people in one terrible moment of violence caused that frustration to explode, and create the possibility of a real peace movement...As far as we are concerned, every single death in the last eight years, and every death in every war that was ever fought represents life needlessly wasted, a mother's labour spurned" (see[5]).
Personal life
At the time she received the Nobel Prize, she was working as a receptionist and raising the two children she had had with Ralph Williams. They divorced, and she married James Perkins in 1982, and moved to the United States, where she toured and lectured extensively.
In 1992 she was appointed to the Texas Commission for Children and Youth by then Texas Governor, Ann Richards.
She spent time as a visiting professor at Sam Houston State University, in Huntsville, Texas and In 2004, she returned to Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Awards
Since winning the Nobel Peace Prize Williams has received the People's Peace Prize of Norway in 1976 , the Schweitzer Medallion for Courage, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Award, the Eleanor Roosevelt Award in 1984, and the Frank Foundation Child Care International Oliver Award. In 1995 she was awarded the Rotary Club International "Paul Harris Fellowship: and the Together for Peace Building Award.
Comments on George W. Bush
On July 24, 2006, while delivering a speech at the Earth Dialogue forums, Williams told school children at the Brisbane City Hall, "I have a very hard time with this word 'non-violence,' because I don't believe that I am non-violent." She went on to say, "Right now, I would love to kill George Bush", blaming him for the deaths of children, particularly in the Middle East. "I don't know how I ever got a Nobel Peace Prize, because when I see children die the anger in me is just beyond belief. It's our duty as human beings, whatever age we are, to become the protectors of human life." [6]
In The Media
Betty Williams was featured in the Nickelback music video If Everyone Cared for her efforts. Footage was shown depicting the peace march in Northern Ireland.
External links
- [7] Nobel Committee information on 1976 Peace Laureates
- [8] brief bio
- [9] A biography of Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams
- Peace People in NI - a socialist position
See also
- As Peace Comes Into View - Women Strike Out for Greater Representation in Northern Ireland - by Lys Anzia / WNN - Women News Network, April 2007
- The Peace People
- The Troubles
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