Nobel Peace Prize winner to come to Portland

Leymah Gbowee (Courtesy of Maine Law)

It’s only the second year of the University of Maine School of Law’s annual Justice for Women lectures, but the school is already attracting some of the world’s top names in that arena.

Last year, Unity Dow, the first woman to serve as a judge on Botswana’s High Court came to speak, and this year, Maine Law is welcoming Leymah Gbowee, an activist who won a 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for helping to end civil war in Liberia.

Gbowee’s talk will take place on March 20 at 7 p.m. at the Abromson Center at 88 Bedford St. in Portland. The event is free, but space is limited. To claim a seat, call 780-4344 or email mainelaw@maine.edu.

Here’s some more background on Gbowee as provided by the School of Law and its communications director, old friend Trevor Maxwell:

Gbowee led the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace, which brought together Christian and Muslim women in a nonviolent movement. Their efforts helped end the Liberian civil war in 2003 and also contributed to the election of the first female head of state in African history.

Gbowee was awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize, along with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Tawakel Karman of Yemen. Among her many achievements, Gbowee is founder and president of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa, and co-founder and executive director of Women Peace and Security Network Africa. Her work is chronicled in her memoir, ‘Mighty Be Our Powers,’ and in the documentary film, ‘Pray the Devil Back to Hell.’

Seth Koenig

About Seth Koenig

Seth has nearly a decade of professional journalism experience and writes about the greater Portland region.