Ralph Bunche

Ralph Johnson Bunche became the first African American to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950 for successfully mediating the 1949 Arab-Israeli armistice agreements. A diplomat, scholar, and key architect of the United Nations, Bunche demonstrated that Black excellence had no borders — operating on the world stage at a time when he couldn't eat at most restaurants in his own country.

Born in Detroit in 1904 and orphaned by 13, Bunche was raised by his grandmother in Los Angeles. He graduated valedictorian from UCLA in 1927 and earned his PhD in political science from Harvard — the first African American to do so. His doctoral research on colonial governance in Africa shaped his lifelong commitment to decolonization and self-determination.

At the United Nations, Bunche became the highest-ranking American, serving as Under-Secretary-General. He mediated conflicts across the globe and helped establish UN peacekeeping operations. He also marched with King in Selma in 1965, bridging his international diplomacy with domestic civil rights. When asked how he balanced both struggles, his answer was simple: they were the same struggle.