Ambassador Ralph Bunche

1904 Detroit, Michigan - 1971 New York, New York

BiographyRalph Bunche was born in Detroit, Michigan before moving to Albuquerque, New Mexico when he was ten years old in order to improve the health of his parents. After both of his parents passed away two years later, he and his siblings were raised by their grandmother in Los Angeles, California. Bunche completed an undergraduate degree in international relations at the University of California at Los Angeles in 1927 and a masters degree in political science as well as a PhD. from Harvard. He also conducted a variety of postdoctoral research in anthropology in universities around the world. Throughout this he was also teaching at Howard University and Harvard University. Bunche was involved in the civil rights movement through participating in protests including the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, supporting civil rights organizations, and helping to organize and consult with government programs and surveys. Bunche is most well known for his efforts as the mediator between Israel and Palestine in 1948 and for his numerous other efforts with the United Nations. In 1950 he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his mediation work, making him the first African American to do so.

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