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Betty Williams (Northern Ireland)
Encyclopedia
Betty Williams in the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland, is a co-recipient with Mairead Corrigan
of the Nobel Peace Prize
in 1976 for her work as a cofounder of Community of Peace People, an organisation dedicated to promoting a peaceful resolution to The Troubles
in Northern Ireland
. She heads the Global Children's Foundation and is the President of the World Centre 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
. In 2006, Williams was one of the founders of the Nobel Women's Initiative along with sister Nobel Peace Laureates Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Shirin Ebadi
, Wangari Maathai
, Jody Williams
and Rigoberta Menchu Tum. Six women representing North America
and South America
, Europe
, the Middle East
and Africa
decided to bring together their experiences in a united effort for peace with justice and equality. It is the goal of the Nobel Women's Initiative to help strengthen work being done in support of women's rights around the world.
fugitive named Danny Lennon, was fatally shot by British authorities. Williams was driving in her car with one of her children when she heard gunfire. She turned the corner to her street, 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, Williams had obtained 6,000 signatures on a petition
for peace and gained media attention. Together with Mairead Corrigan
, Anne Maguire's sister, she co-founded 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". The following week, Williams and Corrigan again led a march — this time with 35,000 participants.
On 13 August, the day of the Maguire childrens' funeral, Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan were to appear with journalist Ciaran McKeown on a current affairs television programme. 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.
(signature)
in 1977 (the prize for 1976).
In her acceptance speech, Williams said,
Although Williams had initially indicated she would donate her half of the prize money to the cause of supporting the Peace People, upon being asked to do so she declined. "I've changed my mind," she told co-laureate Mairead Maguire and Peace People colleague Ciaran McKeown. "I have a wee project of my own which I want to back with my half," she explained.
. She toured and lectured extensively, taking the Nobel Peace Prize with her, so others could see it.
Her son Paul
became a professional footballer playing for Newport County
, Sheffield United,
Hartlepool United, Stockport County, West Bromwich Albion and Rochdale
. He made one appearance for Northern Ireland.
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
. In 2004, she returned to Belfast, Northern Ireland.
City Hall
, "I have a very hard time with this word 'non-violence,' because I don't believe that I am non-violent." Decrying the deaths of innocent children in wartime, she went on to say,
In a keynote speech at the International Women's Peace Conference on July 11, 2007, Ms. Williams told a crowd of about 1,000: "Right now, I could kill George Bush
," she said at the Adam's Mark
Hotel and Conference Center in Dallas, Texas
. "No, I don't mean that. How could you nonviolently kill somebody? I would love to be able to do that." Williams later apologized for the remarks.
According to the Dallas Morning News, “Secret Service spokesman Eric Zahren in Washington declined to comment, but a Dallas agent said Ms. Williams had not been questioned and there were no plans to do so.” However, the people who emailed the conference in anger about her threats — they were the ones investigated: “Conference organizers reported that a Dallas police detective was working with hotel security to review about 40 hateful e-mails received in response to Ms. Williams’ speech.”
entitled "Peace Is Action, Not Words." On September 18, Mrs. Williams presented a lecture to the university community, entitled "Peace in the World Is Everybody's Business." On September 20, she gave a lecture open to 2,232 members of the general public, including 1,100 high school sophomores.
Speaking at the University of Bradford
before an audience of 200 in March 2011, Williams warned that young Muslim women on campus were vulnerable to attacks from angry family members, while the university does little to help protect them. "If you had someone on this campus these young women could go to say, 'I am frightened' – if you are not doing that here, you are dehumanising them by not helping these young women, don't you think?"
's hit song If Everyone Cared
.
Mairead Corrigan
Mairead Maguire , also known as Mairead Corrigan Maguire and formerly as Mairéad Corrigan, is a Northern Irish peace activist. She co-founded, with Betty Williams and Ciaran McKeown, the Community of Peace People, an organisation dedicated to encouraging a peaceful resolution of the Troubles in...
of the Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
in 1976 for her work as a cofounder of Community of Peace People, an organisation dedicated to promoting a peaceful resolution to The Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. She heads the Global Children's Foundation and is the President of the World Centre 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
Nova Southeastern University
Nova Southeastern University, commonly referred to as NSU or Nova, is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian, research university located in Broward County, Florida, with its main campus in the town of Davie...
. In 2006, Williams was one of the founders of the Nobel Women's Initiative along with sister Nobel Peace Laureates Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi is an Iranian lawyer, a former judge and human rights activist and founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. On 10 October 2003, Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially women's,...
, Wangari Maathai
Wangari Maathai
Wangari Muta Mary Jo Maathai was a Kenyan environmental and political activist. She was educated in the United States at Mount St. Scholastica and the University of Pittsburgh, as well as the University of Nairobi in Kenya...
, Jody Williams
Jody Williams
Jody Williams is an American teacher and aid worker who received the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with the campaign she worked for, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines...
and Rigoberta Menchu Tum. Six women representing North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
decided to bring together their experiences in a united effort for peace with justice and equality. It is the goal of the Nobel Women's Initiative to help strengthen work being done in support of women's rights around the world.
Peace petition
Betty Williams was drawn into the public arena after witnessing the death of three children on 10 August 1976, when they were hit by a car whose driver, an IRAProvisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
fugitive named Danny Lennon, was fatally shot by British authorities. Williams was driving in her car with one of her children when she heard gunfire. She turned the corner to her street, 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, Williams had obtained 6,000 signatures on a petition
Petition
A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer....
for peace and gained media attention. Together with Mairead Corrigan
Mairead Corrigan
Mairead Maguire , also known as Mairead Corrigan Maguire and formerly as Mairéad Corrigan, is a Northern Irish peace activist. She co-founded, with Betty Williams and Ciaran McKeown, the Community of Peace People, an organisation dedicated to encouraging a peaceful resolution of the Troubles in...
, Anne Maguire's sister, she co-founded the Women for Peace which later, with co-founder Ciaran McKeown
Ciaran McKeown
Ciaran McKeown is a former peace activist in Northern Ireland.Born in Derry to a Roman Catholic family, McKeown served as a Dominican novice for eight months in his youth. He then attended Queen's University Belfast, where he studied philosophy, becoming the first Catholic to be elected president...
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". The following week, Williams and Corrigan again led a march — this time with 35,000 participants.
On 13 August, the day of the Maguire childrens' funeral, Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan were to appear with journalist Ciaran McKeown on a current affairs television programme. 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.
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.
(signature)
Nobel prize
Subsequent to that dramatic display of support for peace, Williams and Corrigan became the joint recipients of the Nobel Peace PrizeNobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
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".
Although Williams had initially indicated she would donate her half of the prize money to the cause of supporting the Peace People, upon being asked to do so she declined. "I've changed my mind," she told co-laureate Mairead Maguire and Peace People colleague Ciaran McKeown. "I have a wee project of my own which I want to back with my half," she explained.
Personal life
At the time she received the Nobel Prize, she was working as a receptionist and raising the two children she had with Ralph Williams. After they divorced, she married James Perkins in 1982, and lived with him in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. She toured and lectured extensively, taking the Nobel Peace Prize with her, so others could see it.
Her son Paul
Paul Williams (Northern Irish footballer)
Paul Andrew Williams is a retired Northern Irish footballer. He won one cap for the Northern Ireland national football team.He was born in Sheffield. His mother is Nobel Peace Prize laureate Betty Williams.-References:*...
became a professional footballer playing for Newport County
Newport County A.F.C.
Newport County Association Football Club are a professional football club based in the city of Newport, south Wales, who currently play in the Conference National, the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
, Sheffield United,
Hartlepool United, Stockport County, West Bromwich Albion and Rochdale
Rochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
. He made one appearance for Northern Ireland.
In 1992, she was appointed to the Texas Commission for Children and Youth by then Texas Governor, Ann Richards
Ann Richards
Dorothy Ann Willis Richards was an American politician from Texas. She first came to national attention as the state treasurer of Texas, when she delivered the keynote address at the 1988 Democratic National Convention. Richards served as the 45th Governor of Texas from 1991 to 1995 and was...
.
She spent time as a visiting professor at Sam Houston State University
Sam Houston State University
Sam Houston State University was founded in 1879 and is the third oldest public institution of higher learning in the State of Texas. It is located in Huntsville, Texas. It is one of the oldest purpose-built institutions for the instruction of teachers west of the Mississippi River and the first...
, in Huntsville, Texas
Huntsville, Texas
Huntsville is a city in and the county seat of Walker County, Texas, United States. The population was 35,508 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Huntsville micropolitan area....
. 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 BrisbaneBrisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
City Hall
Brisbane City Hall
Brisbane City Hall, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, is the seat of the Brisbane City Council. It is located adjacent to King George Square, where the rectangular City Hall has its main entrance. The City Hall also has frontages and entrances in both Ann Street and Adelaide Street...
, "I have a very hard time with this word 'non-violence,' because I don't believe that I am non-violent." Decrying the deaths of innocent children in wartime, she went on to say,
"Right now, I would love to kill George BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. I don't know how I ever got a Nobel Peace PrizeNobel Peace PrizeThe Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
, 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."
In a keynote speech at the International Women's Peace Conference on July 11, 2007, Ms. Williams told a crowd of about 1,000: "Right now, I could kill George Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
," she said at the Adam's Mark
Adam's Mark
Adam's Mark is a former chain of upscale hotels in the United States. The company was based in St. Louis, Missouri. The chain was founded in the early 1970s by Fred Kummer and owned by HBE, Corp., which was also founded by Kummer.-History:...
Hotel and Conference Center in Dallas, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. "No, I don't mean that. How could you nonviolently kill somebody? I would love to be able to do that." Williams later apologized for the remarks.
According to the Dallas Morning News, “Secret Service spokesman Eric Zahren in Washington declined to comment, but a Dallas agent said Ms. Williams had not been questioned and there were no plans to do so.” However, the people who emailed the conference in anger about her threats — they were the ones investigated: “Conference organizers reported that a Dallas police detective was working with hotel security to review about 40 hateful e-mails received in response to Ms. Williams’ speech.”
Talks and Guest Lectures
From September 17–20, 2007, Williams taught an intensive course at Soka University of AmericaSoka University of America
Soka University of America is a university located in Aliso Viejo, California, United States. It describes its mission as the fostering of a steady stream of global citizens committed to living a contributive life—with an emphasis on principles of pacifism, human rights, and the creative...
entitled "Peace Is Action, Not Words." On September 18, Mrs. Williams presented a lecture to the university community, entitled "Peace in the World Is Everybody's Business." On September 20, she gave a lecture open to 2,232 members of the general public, including 1,100 high school sophomores.
Speaking at the University of Bradford
University of Bradford
The University of Bradford is a British university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The University received its Royal Charter in 1966, making it the 40th University to be created in Britain, but its origins date back to the early 1800s...
before an audience of 200 in March 2011, Williams warned that young Muslim women on campus were vulnerable to attacks from angry family members, while the university does little to help protect them. "If you had someone on this campus these young women could go to say, 'I am frightened' – if you are not doing that here, you are dehumanising them by not helping these young women, don't you think?"
In Pop Culture
Betty Williams was honoured/featured in the music video of NickelbackNickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....
's hit song If Everyone Cared
If Everyone Cared
"If Everyone Cared" is the title of a song recorded by Canadian rock group Nickelback. It was released in November 2006 as the sixth single from the album All the Right Reasons, and the single released in Australia and the US respectively...
.
See also
- List of female Nobel laureates
- Earth Dialogues
- The Peace People
- The TroublesThe TroublesThe Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
External links
- Nobel Committee information on 1976 Peace Laureates
- http://provost.syr.edu/lectures/williams.asp - brief bio
- http://members.lycos.co.uk/wizard5/corrigan.html - A biography of Mairead Corrigan and Betty Williams
- Peace People in NI - a socialist position
- Irish Nobel Prize winners